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ItHEOLGGICAL  SEJllMRY.I 

I    Princeton,  N.  J.  | 


CV^.Sfr?,_Di  vision, 
^  Section ^B..2..7.3. 1 


Digitized  by 

the  Internet  Archive 

in  2015 

https://archive.org/details/travelsdiscoveri02bart_1 


TRAVELS  AND  DISCOVERIES 

IN 

NORTH  AND  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

BEING  A 

JOURNAL  OF  AN  EXPEDITION 

VNDEBTAKEN 

UNDER  THE  AUSPICES  OF  H.  B.  M.'S  GOVERNMENT, 

IN  THE  TEAKS 

1849—1855. 

BY 

HENRY  BARTH,  Ph.D.,  D.C.L., 

FELLOW  OF  THE  ROYAL  GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  ASIATIC  SOCIETIES, 
&C.,  &C. 

IN  THREE  VOLUMES. 

VOL.  II. 

NEW  YORK: 
HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

FKANKLIN  SQUARE. 

1857. 


CONTENTS 

OP 

THE  SECOND  VOLUME. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

AUTHENTICITY  AND  GENERAL  CHARACTER  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  BORXU. 

Documents. — Beginning  of  written  History, — Pedigree  of  the  Bornu  Kings. — 
Chronology. — Harmony  of  Facts. — The  Sefuwa  Dynasty. — E'bn  Khaldun. — 
Makrizi  and  Elbn  Batuta. — Surprising  Accuracy  of  the  Chonicle  of  Bornu.^ — 
Statement  of  Leo  Africanus. — Berber  Origin  of  the  Sefuwa. — Form  of  Govern- 
ment.— The  Berber  Race. — The  Queen  Mother. — Indigenous  Tribes, — The 
Teda  or  Tebu. — The  Soy. — Epochs  of  Bornu  History. — Greatest  Power. — De- 
cline of  the  Bornu  Empire. — The  Kanemiym  Page  IT) 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  CAPITAL  OF  BORNU. 

My  Friends. — The  Arab  A'hmed  bel  Mejub. — ThePullo  I'brahfm  from  the  Sene- 
gal. —  Dangerous  Medical  Practice.  —  A'hmed  the  Traveler.  —  My  Bornu 
Friends. — The  Vizier  el  Haj  Beshfr  ;  his  Career ;  his  Domestic  Establishment ; 
his  Leniency. — Debts  of  the  Mission  paid. — The  English  House. — Plague  of 
Insects.  —  Preparations  for  a  Journey.  —  Character  of  Kukawa.  —  The  two 
Towns. — The  great  Market. — Business  and  Concourse. — Defective  Currency. 
— Prices  of  Provisions. — Fruits. — Camels. — Horses. — Want  of  native  Industr}-. 
— ^Bomu  Women. — Promenade  85 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  TS.iD. 

Character  of  the  Road  to  Ngornu.—Ngornu.— Searching  the  Tsad.— Longer  Ex- 
cursion.—Character  of  the  Shores  of  the  Tsad.— The  Budduma  and  their 
Boats.— Fresh  Water.— Swampy  Plains.— Boats  of  the  Budduma  again.— 
Maduwari. — Dress  of  the  Sugurti. — Account  of  the  Lake. — Shores  of  the  Creek. 
— Soyorum. — Kawa. — Return  to  Kukawa. — Serv-ants  dismissed. — Mohammed 
Titiwi,  the  auspicious  Messenger. — Slave-caravan. — Announcement  of  Rainy 
Season. — Ride  to  Gawange. — Mr.  Overweg's  Arrival. — Meeting. — Property  re- 
stored.— Mercantile  Intrigues.— The  Sheikh's  Relatives.— Messengers  from 
A'damawa.— Anticipated  Importance  of  the  Eastern  Branch  of  the  Niger. — 
Proposed  Journey  to  A'damawa   GO 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

SETTING  OUT  ON  MY  JOURNEY  TO  aDAMaAVA. — THE  FLAT,  SAVAMPY  GROUNDS  Or 

BORNU. 

Leaving  Kukawa. — The  Eoad  southward. — Inhospitalitj  near  the  Capital. — 
Buying  with  a  Shirt. — The  Winter  Corn. — The  Shuwa  Arabs. — Mungholo 
Gezawa. — Fair  Arabs. — Maga  District. — The  Gamerghu  District. — District  of 
Uje. — Fine  Country. — Mabani. — Pilgrim  Traders. — Banks  of  the  Yaloe. — First 
View  of  the  Mountains. — Fugo  Mozari. — Market  of  Uje. — Alawo. — Approach 
to  Mandara  Page  85 

CHAPTER  XXXin. 

THE  BORDER  COU^TTRY  OF  THE  MARGHI. 

Question  about  sno^Ay  Mountains.  —  The  Blacksmith.  —  Shamo  District.  —  A 
Storm. — Molghoy. — The  Southern  Molghoy. — Large  Kurna-trees. — Structure 
of  the  Huts. — ^Deviations  fi-om  Negro  Type. — The  Marghi;  their  Attire  and 
Language. — Edible  wild  Fruits. — The  Baobab. — Beautiful  Scenery. — I'ssege. 
— Spirit  of  the  Natives. — Degenerate  Fulbe. — The  Lake. — View  of  Mount 
Mmdif. — Wandala  Mountains. — Route  to  Sugur. — The  Marghi  Tribe. — Scien- 
tific Dispute. — Unsafe  Wilderness. — L'nwholesome  Water. — The  Return  of  the 
Slave  Girl. — The  Babir  Tribe. — Lahaula. — The  Idol. — Alarm. — Abundance 
of  vegetable  Butter.  —  Serious  March.  —  The  Baza  Tribe.  —  The  dividing 
Range.— U'ba.— The  new  Colony   100 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

ADAMAWA. — 3I0HAMMEDAN  SETTLEMENTS  IN  THE  HEART  OF  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

The  Conquering  Tribe. — The  granite  Hills. — Valley  and  Mountain-chain. — Iso- 
lated Mountain  Groups. — Mubi. — The  surrounding  Countr}\ — Origin  of  the 
Fulbe. — Bagma  and  peculiar  Structures. — Camels  a  Novelty. — Compliment 
paid  to  the  Christian. — Mbutudi. — Fulbe  way  of  Saluting. — The  Deleb  Palm 
(^BoTassus  Jlahelliformis  ?)  and  its  Fruit. — The  granite  Mount. — Simplicity  of 
Manners. — Mount  Holma. — Legero. — Edible  Productions. — Ground-nut  Diet. 
— Badanijo. — Fertile  Vale. — Temporary  Scarcity, — Kurulu. — Red  and  White 
Sorghum. — Sarawu  Berebere. — Comfortable  Quarters. — Accurate  Description. 
— Important  situation  of  Sarawu. — Tebu  Traders. — Fair  Negi-oes. — Market  of 
Sarawu. — Sara-^-u  Fulfulde. — The  Mansion. — The  blind  Governor. — Principal 
Men  in  Yola. — Mount  Konkel. — Belem. — An  Arab  Adventurer. — Rich  Vege- 
tation.— The  young  Pullo. — Old  M'allem  Dalili. — Arab  Colony. — A  Country 
for  Colonies. — Ruined  Village  (Melago). — Gastronomic  Discussion.  —  Mayo 
Ti'yel.— The  Batta  Tribe.— Sulleri.— Inhospitable  Reception   127 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE  MEETING  OF  THE  WATERS.  THE  BENUWE  AND  FaRO. 

Approach  to  the  River. — Mount  Alantika  and  the  Benuwe. — The  Tepe,  or  "  Junc- 
tion."— The  great  Arm  of  the  Kwara. — The  Traveler's  Pursuits. — High  Road 
of  Commerce. — The  frail  Canoes. — Bathing  in  the  Benuwe. — The  Passage. — 
The  River  Faro  ;  its  Current. — Floods  and  Fall  of  the  River. — Chabajaure. — 
Densely  inhabited  District. — Mount  Bagele. — The  Backwater. — Ribago. — Cul- 


CONTENTS. 


vii 


tivation  of  Kice. — The  Batta  Language. — Inundation. — Yebborewo. — Mount 
Bagele  and  Island.— Reach  Y61a  Page  162 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

MY  RECEPTION  EN  TOLA. — SHORT  STAT. — DISMISSAL. 

Inauspicious  Entrance. — Curiosity  of  Natives. — Quarters, — An  Arab  Traveler  to 
Lake  Nyassa.— The  Governor  Mohammed  Lowel.— The  Audience.— The  Mis- 
sion repulsed. — The  Governor's  Brother  Mansur. — Ordered  to  withdraw. — 
Begin  my  Return  Journey.— Character  of  Yola.— Slavery.— Extent  of  Fum- 
bina.  — Elevation  and  Climate.— Vegetable  and  Animal  Kingdom.  —  Prin- 
cipal Chiefs  of  the  Country.— Tribes ;  the  Batta,  the  Chamba,  and  other 
Tribes  *   179 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

3IT  JOURNEY  HOME  FROM  ADAMaWA. 

Start  from  Ribago.  —  Hospitable  Treatment  in  Sulleri. — Demsa-Poha. — The 
memorable  Campaign  southward. — View  of  a  native  Settlement. — Beautiful 
Country. — Belem  again. — M'allem  Dalili  and  his  Family. — Muglebu. — Mubi. — 
My  Quarters. — Household  Furniture. — Ulsa. — Unsafe  Boundary-district. — La- 
haula. — I'ssege. — Iron  Ornaments  of  the  Marghf. — Funeral  Dance. — Ordeal. 
— Feeling  of  Love. — A  Party  going  to  Sacrifice. — Arrival  at  Yerimarf. — Vil- 
lages of  the  Gamerghu. — Uje  Kasukula. — Difference  of  Climate. — Plants. — 
Huts. — Plains  of  Bornu  Proper. — Seizing  a  Hut. — African  Schoolboys. — A 
wandering  Tribe. — Town  and  Country. — Guinea-worm. — Thunder-storm. — 
People  returning  from  Market. — Munghono. — Return  to  Kukawa   199 

CHAPTER  XXXVIIL 

RAINY  SEASON  IN  KLKA-WA. 

Supplies. — The  Herbage. — Tropical  Rains. — Mr.  Vogel's  Statement. — The  Wing- 
ed Ant. — Various  kinds  of  Cultivation. — Intended  Excursion  to  Kanem. — Mr. 
Overvveg's  Memoranda. — Political  Situation  of  Bornu. — The  Turks  in  Central 
Africa. — Sokoto  and  Waday. — The  Festival. — Ceremonies  of  Festivity. — De- 
nendent  Situation. — My  Horse   228 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

EXPEDITION   TO  KANEM. 

Money-matters  settled. — A  repentant  Servant. — Delights  of  Open  Encampment. 
— Daweighu. — Treatment  by  Slaves. — Variety  of  Trees. — Scarcity  of  Water. — 
The  Town  of  Y6. — Marriage  Customs. — Character  of  the  Country. — Arrival 
of  Mr.  Overweg. — Banks  of  the  River. — Character  of  our  freebootiug  Com- 
panions.— Crossing  the  River. — Town  ofBaruwa. — View  of  the  Tsad. — Native 
Salt. — Desolate  Country. — Ninety-six  Elephants. — Another  Scene  of  Plunder. 
— Arrival  at  Beri. — Importance  of  Beri, — Fresh-water  Lakes  and  Natron. — 
Submerged  in  a  Bog. — A  large  Snake. — The  Valleys  and  Vales  of  Kanem. — 
Arrival  at  the  Arab  Camp   243 


viii 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

THE  HORDE  OF  THE  WELAD  SLIMaN. 

The  Welad  Sliman. — Their  Power. — Slaughter  of  the  Welad  Sliman. — Illtervie^v 
with  the  Sheik  Ghet. — Interview  with  'Omar. — Specimen  of  Predatory  Life. — 
Runaway  female  Slave. — Rich  Vales. — Large  Desertion. — A  Jewish  Adven- 
turer.— Musical  Box. — False  Alarm  Page  273 

CHAPTER  XLI. 

SHITATI. — THE  EASTERN,  MORE  FAVORED,  VALLEYS  OF  KANEM. 

BirelFtaim. — The  Fugabu. — Projects  frustrated. — Karka  and  the  Keghamma. — 
Elephant's  Track. — Boro. — Berende. — Towader. — Beautiful  Vale. — Prepara- 
tions for  Attack. — Left  behind. — Regularly-formed  Valley. — Henderi  Siggesi. 
— Attack  by  the  Natives, — Much  Anxiety, — Join  our  Friends. — Encampment 
at  A'lali  A'dia, — Visited  by  the  Keghamma. — Camp  taken, — Restless  Night. 
— Fine  Vale  Takulum. — Vales  of  Shitati. — Return  to  the  principal  Camp. — 
Waday  Horsemen. — Set  out  on  return  to  Kukawa. — Departure  from  Kanem. — 
Alarms. — The  Komadugu  again. — Return  to  Kukawa   286 

CHAPTER  XLII. 

WARLIKE  PREPARATIONS  AGAINST  MANDARA. 

Set  out  on  another  Expedition. — The  Camp,  or  Ngaufate. — The  Chef  de  Police 
Lamino. — Army  in  motion. — Lammo  again. — Major  Denham's  Adventure. — 
The  Town  of  Marte. — A'la. — Encampment  at  Dikowa. — Fire-arms  and  Civili- 
zation.— Slavery  and  Slave-trade. — The  Shuwa. — The  Interior  of  Dikowa. — In- 
dustry.— Banks  of  the  Yalowe. — Cotton  Plantations. — The  Camp  Market. — 
Friendly  Services. — Important  Information. — Haj  Edris   314 

CHAPTER  XLIII. 

THE  BORDER  REGION  OF  THE  SHUWA. 

News  from  Mandara. — A'fage. — Thieves  forced  to  fight. — The  sweet  Sorghum. 
— Variations  of  Temperature. — Shallow  Water-courses. — Subjection  of  Manda- 
ra.— Extensive  Rice-fields. — Hard  Ground. — Elephants. — The  Court  of  A'di- 
shen. — The  Army  on  the  March. — The  Summoli. — The  Army  badly  off. — En- 
tering the  Mxisgu  Country. — Industry  pillaged. — Native  Architecture. — Affin- 
ity of  the  Musgu. — Their  chief  Places. — The  adventurous  Chieftain. — A'di- 
shen. — Christmas  Events   337 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 

THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  SHALLOW  RIVERS. — WATER-PARTING  BETWEEN  THE  RIVERS 
BENUWE  AND  SHARI. 

The  Deleb  Palm. — New  Features. — Worship  of  Ancestors. — Cut  off  from  the 
Army. — Spoil  and  Slaughter. — Alarm  and  Cowardice. — Musgu  Weapons. — 
The  Tuburi  not  attacked. — Ngaljam  of  Demmo. — Destruction. — New  Year. — 
Pagan  Chiefs  and  Priests. — Fine  Landscape. — The  River  of  Logon. — Singular 
Water-combat. — The  Tuburi  and  their  Lake. — The  swampy  Character  of  the 
Ngaljam. — The  River  again. — Water-communication. — Plucky  Pagans. — Balls 
and  Stones. — Consequences  of  Slave-hunts. — Penetrating  southward   301 


CONTENTS.  ix 
CHAPTER  XLV. 

RETURN    TO  BORNU. 

Another  Alarm. — Policy  of  Negroland. — Cattle  indigenous  or  imported. — An- 
other District  plundered. — The  Miisgu  Slave. — Narrow  Escape. — Attack  by 
Bees. — African  Netherlands. — Miseries  of  Slave-hunts. — Barren  Country. — 
Residence  of  Kabishme. — Native  Architecture. — Ground-plan  of  a  Dwelling. — 
Amount  of  Booty.  —  Waza.  —  Encampment  at  Waza. — Re-arrival  at  Ku- 
kawa  Page  396 

CHAPTER  XL VI. 

SETTING  OUT  FOR  BAGIRMI. — THE  COUNTRY  OF  KOTOKO. 

Mestrema,  the  Consul  of  Bagi'rmi. — Setting  out  for  Bagirmi. — Remains  of  Pagan 
Rites. — Poa  Ahyssinica. — The  Water. — Arborescent  Enphorhiacea. — Scarcity 
of  Water. — Ngala  ;  Buildings ;  Language. — Ren. — A'fade. — Historical  View 
of  Kotoko. — Former  Towns  of  the  Soy   425 

CHAPTER  XLVn. 

PROVINCE  OF  LOGON. — LOGON  BIRNI. 

Kala,  new  Character. — Hiilluf. — The  Deleb  Palm  again. — Reception  in  the  Kar- 
nak. — The  Ibalaghwan. — Palace  of  the  Sultan. — Sultan  Y'suf. — The  River. — 
The  Water-king. — Embarking  on  the  River. — Names  of  Rivers. — Bathing  in 
the  River. — Historical  Account  of  Logon — Date  of  their  Islam. — Government. 
— Pood. — Manufactures. — Language   439 

CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

THE  TWO  RIVERS. — ENTRANCE  INTO  BAGIRMI. 

Crossing  the  River. — Animated  Scenery. — Political  State  of  the  Country. — ThC 
real  Shari. — River  Scenery. — Sent  back  by  the  Ferrymen. — Intrigues  and 
Fears. — Trying  another  Ford. — The  Shari  at  Mele. — Character  of  the  Natives. 
— Entering  a  Country  by  Stealth. — Overtaken. — Residence  at  Mele'. — Ordered 
to  wait  at  Biigoman. — Character  of  the  River. — Mustafaji, — The  Shari  again. 
— Sent  back  from  Biigoman. — Bugan. — Mokorf. — Arrival  at  Bakada. — Haj  Bu- 
Bakr  Sadi'k.  —  Decay  of  Bagirmi. — Destructive  Insects.  —  Character  of  Ba 
kadd.  —  The  Natives. — Intercourse.  —  Trees  of  Negroland.  —  Return  of  Mes 
senger   461 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 

ENDEAVOR  TO  LEAVE  THE  COUNTRY. — ARRESTED. — FINAL  ENTRANCE  INTO  MaS- 
ENA. — ITS  CHARACTERISTIC  FEATURES. 

Stay  in  Mokorf. — Importance  of  Needles. — Want  of  Water. — Leaving  the  right 
Track.  —  A  Night  in  the  Wilderness.  —  Kokoroche.  —  Mele  again. — Laid  in 
Irons. — Released. — Return  eastward. — Arrival  at  the  Capital. — The  Lieuten- 
ant Governor. — Haj  A'hmed. — The  Fa'ki  Sambo. — Mohammedan  Learning. — 
The  Faki  Tbrahi'm. — Suspected  of  being  a  Rain-maker. — Superstition  of  the 
Natives. — Becoming  Retail  Dealer. — The  Market. — Articles  of  Commerce. — 
Difficulties  of  a  Journey  into  Waday. — Market  of  A'bu-Gher   491 


X 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  L. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TOWT?.  ARRIVAL  OF  THE  SULTAN.  FINAL  DEPARTURE. 

General  Character  of  Mas-ena. — The  Palace. — The  Beda. — Patients. — The  other 
Sex. — Occurrences  of  Daily  Life. — Battle  with  Ants. — Arrival  of  the  Sultan. — 
The  Sultan's  Retinue. — His  Entry  into  the  Town. — Dispatches  and  Letters. — 
A  serious  Visit. — Escape  by  Frankness. — Audience  with  the  Sultan. — Asked 
for  a  Cannon. — Pardoning  Enemies. — Death  of  Maina  Belademi. — Present 
from  the  Sultan. — Reward  of  Friends. — Departure  from  the  Capital.  Page  517 

CHAPTER  LI. 

HISTORICAL  SURVEY  OF  BAGIRMI. — GENERAL  CONDITION  OF  THE  COUNTRY  AND  ITS 

INHABITANTS. 

Scarcity  of  Information. — The  Dajo. — The  Kingdom  of  Gaoga. — Introduction  of 
Islam. — Early  History  of  Bagirmi. — Foundation  of  Mas-ena. — The  Kings  'Abd- 
Allah  and  Mohammed. — Restless  Reign  of 'Othman. — Subjection  to  Waday. — 
Struggle  with  Bornu. — The  Present  King,  'Abd  el  Kader. — His  Policy. — Gen- 
eral Character  of  Bagirmi. — Mountain  Gere. — No  Snow  on  Mountains. — Edi- 
ble Poa. — Vegetable  Produce. — Arms. — Language. — Dress. — Government. — 
Tribute.— Power  of  the  Sultan   544 

CHAPTER  LH. 

HOME  JOURNEY  TO  KUKAWA. — DEATH  OF  MR.  OVERWEG. 

Pleasant  Starting. — Bakada  Hospitality. — A'su  and  the  Shari. — The  Shuwa  of 
Mokoro. — River  of  Logon. — Difficulty  of  proceeding  without  Delay. — A'fade. 
— Crossing  Rivers. — Bogheowa. — Meeting  with  Mr.  Overweg. — Treaty  signed. 
— Money-matters. — Rising  of  the  Komadugu. — Mr.  Overweg's  last  Excursion. 
— Death  of  Mr.  Overweg. — His  Grave  on  the  Shore  of  the  Tsad....   564 


APPENDIX. 

Pago 

I.  Chrokological  Table,  containing  a  List  of  the  Sefuwa,  or  Kings 
of  Bornu  descended  from  Sef,  with  the  few  historical  facts  and 


events  under  their  respective  reigns  that  have  come  to  our  knowl- 
edge  581 

II.  Account  of  the  Eastern  Parts  of  Kanem,  from  Native  Information   GOG 

M'awo  and  its  Neighborhood   G07 

I.  Itinerary  from  M'awo  to  Taghghel,  directly  South   G08 

II.  From  Ben  to  Taghghel,  going  along  the  border  of  the  Lake...  G09 
III.  The  Bahr  el  Ghazal,  called  "Burrum"  by  the  Kanembu,  and 

"Fede"  by  the  Tebu  Gur'aan   GIO 

Mondo,  Ege,  Burku,  Tribes  of  the  Tebu  or  Teda   G13 

III.  Geographical  Details  contained  in  "  the  Divan,"  or  Account  given 

by  the  Imam  A'hmed  ben  Sofi'ya  of  the  Expeditions  of  the  King 

Edris  Alawoma  from  Bornu  to  Kanem   617 

First  Expedition   617 

Second  Expedition   625 

Third  Expedition   626 

Fourth  Expedition   629 

Fifth  Expedition   634 

Last  Expedition  to  the  Borders  of  Kanem  ;  Treaty   636 

IV.  Account  of  the  various  Detachments  of  Cavalry  composing  the  Bornu 

Army  in  the  Expedition  to  Musgu   638 

V.  Towns  and  Villages  of  the  Province  of  Logon  or  Logone   641 

VI .  Copy  of  a  Dispatch  from  Lord  Palmerston   642 

VII.  Historical  Sketch  of  Waday   643 

VIII.  Ethnographical  Account  of  Waday   649 

IX.  Government  of  Waday   654 

X.  Collection  of  Itineraries  for  fixing  the  Topography  of  Waday,  and 

those  parts  of  Bagirmi  which  I  did  not  visit  myself   663 

I.  Roads  from  Mas-efia  to  Wara   663 

II.  Routes  in  the  Interior  of  Waday   667 

III.  Routes  in  the  Interior  of  Bagirmi   677 

XI.  Fragments  of  a  Meteorological  Register   695 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

IN 

THE  SECOND  VOLUME. 


Page 

Musgu  Chief  Frontispiece. 

Ground-plan  of  House  in  Kukawa   46 

Ground-plan  of  the  Town  of  Kukawa   50 

Kulu-Keme,  the  open  Water  of  the  Tsad   69 

Shores  of  Lake  Tsad   73 

The  Segheum  of  the  Marghf   107 

Double  Peak  of  Mount  Mindif.   115 

View  of  Mountain  Chain  of  U'ba   129 

Mountain   130 

Another  Mountain   131 

Mount  Kilba-Gaya   131 

Mountain  Chain,  Fingting   132 

Mbutudi   136 

Mount  Hdlma   141 

Mount  Kurulu   145 

Ground-plan  of  Huts   146 

Couch-screen  . . ,   148 

Picturesque  Cone   149 

Mountain  Range  beyond  Sarawu   154 

Mount  Kdnkel   155 

Tepe,  the  confluence  of  the  Benuwe  and  Faro   165 

The  Governor's  Audience-hall   182 

Picturesque  Cone   201 

Demsa-Pdha   204 

Muglebu   208 

Ground-plan  of  Hut  in  Mubi   211 

Household  Furniture   212 

Hand-bill   214 

Shield   218 

Different  Shape  of  Huts   226 

Yd  and  the  Komadugu   251 

Herd  of  Elephants  near  the  Tsad   263 

BirElFtaim   287 

Henderi  Siggesi   299 

Kanembu  Chief   314 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  xiii 

Page 

Granary   355 

Landscape  of  the  Miisgu  Countr}'   365 

Encampment  in  Forest   372 

Shallow  Water  (Xgaljam)  at  De'mmo   377 

Landscape  in  Wiiliya   399 

Barea  and  the  Deleb  Palm   404 

Harpoon   405 

Ornamented  Granary   414 

Ground-plan  of  Building  ,   414 

Interior  of  Dwelling   415 

Encampment  at  Waza   421 

Ground-plan  of  Palace  in  Logon  Birni   446 

Logon  Birni   460 

The  Shari  at  Mele   468 

Ground-plan  of  Town  of  Mas-ena   516 

Mas-ena,  Return  of  the  Sultan  from  the  Expedition   529 

Hoe   672 


TRAVELS  AND  DISCOVERIES 

IX 

AFRICA. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

AUTHENTICITY  AND  GENEKAL  CHAKACTER  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF 

BORNU. 

Any  writer  who  attempts  to  recall  from  obscurity  and  obliv- 
ion the  past  ages  of  an  illiterate  nation,  and  to  lay  before  the 
public  even  the  most  elementary  sketch  of  its  history,  will  prob- 
ably have  to  contend  against  the  strong  prejudices  of  numerous 
critics,  who  are  accustomed  to  refuse  belief  to  whatever  is  inca- 
pable of  bearing  the  strictest  inquiry. 

The  documents  upon  which  the  history  of  Bornu  is  based,  be- 
sides the  scanty  information  contained  in  the  narratives  of  re- 
cent explorers,  are, 

1.  A  chronicle  ("divan"),  or  rather  the  dry  and  sterile  abridg- 
ment of  a  chronicle,  comprising  the  whole  history  of  Bornu  from 
the  earliest  time  down  to  Ibrahim,  the  last  unfortunate  offspring 
of  the  royal  family,  who  had  just  ascended  the  crumbling  throne 
of  the  Bornu  empire  when  the  last  English  expedition  arrived  in 
that  country.    6  pp.  4to.* 

2.  Two  other  still  shorter  lists  of  the  Bornu  kings. 

3.  A  detailed  history  of  the  first  twelve  years  of  the  reign  of 

*  Of  this  document  I  have  sent  a  copy  from  Kuhawa  to  the  Leipsic  Oriental 
Society ;  and  a  translation  of  it  has  been  published  in  the  Journal  (Zeitschrift) 
of  that  society  in  the  year  1852,  p.  305,  fF.,  with  notes  by  M.Blau. 


16 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


the  King  Edris  iVlawoma,  consisting  of  two  parts,  in  my  copy 
one  of  77  and  the  other  of  145  pages,  and  written  by  a  contem- 
porary of  the  above-mentioned  king,  the  Imam  Ahmed,  son  of 
Sofiya.  Of  this  very  interesting  and  important  history  a  copy 
was  forwarded  by  the  late  Vizier  of  Bornu,  Haj  Beshir  ben  Ti- 
rab,  at  my  urgent  request,*  to  her  Britannic  majesty's  govern- 
ment, and  is  now  in  the  Foreign  Office;  another  copy  I  my- 
self have  brought  back. 

4.  A  few  facts  regarding  the  history  of  this  countr)^  men- 
tioned by  Arabic  writers,  such  as  E^bn  S'aid  (A.D.  1282),  E^bn 
Batuta  (A.D.  1353),  E'bn  Khaldun  (A.D.  138i),  and  Makrizi 
(about  A.D.  1400),  Leo  Africanus  (A.D.  1528). 

5.  A  short  document  containing  information  about  embassies 
sent  to  Tripoli  by  some  Bornu  kings,  and  published  in  the 
"Bulletin  de  la  Societe  Geographique  de  Paris,"  1849,  252,  ff. 

I  now  proceed  to  inquire  into  the  character  of  the  first  of  these 
documents,  which  is  the  only  one  among  them  comprising  the 
whole  history  of  Bornu,  and  which  therefore  forms  the  basis  of 
our  tables.  The  most  momentous  question  is  upon  what  au- 
thority this  document  rests,  and  when  it  was  compiled.  As 
for  the  first  point,  I  have  been  assured  by  Shitima  Makaremma 
(a  man  intimately  connected  with  the  old  dynasty,  who  made 
the  two  copies  for  me,  and  of  whom  some  notice  will  be  found 
in  my  journal)  that  it  is  a  mere  extract  from  a  more  voluminous 
work,  which  he  represented  to  me  as  still  existing,  but  which  I 
was  unable  to  procure,  as  it  is  carefully  concealed.  The  whole 
business  of  collecting  documents  and  information  relative  to  the 
history  of  the  old  dynasty  was  most  difficult,  and  demanded 
much  discretion,  as  the  new  dynasty  of  the  Kanemiyin  endeav- 
ors to  obliterate  as  much  as  possible  the  memory  of  the  old  Ka- 
•  nuri  dynasty,  and  has  assiduously  destroyed  all  its  record? 
wherever  they  could  be  laid  hold  of. 

As  regards  the  time  when  the  chronicle,  of  which  the  manu- 
script in  question  is  a  very  meagre  and  incorrect  abridgment, 
was  written,  it  is  stated  that  the  various  parts  of  it  were  com- 

*  See  a  letter  of  mine  from  Kiikawa,  November  20,  1852,  addressed  to  Chev- 
alier Bunsen,  and  published  in  Petermann's  Mittheilungen,  1855,  p.  7. 


HISTORY  OF  BO'RNU. 


17 


posed  at  different  times,  at  the  beginning  of  eveiy  new  reign; 
and  the  question  is,  when  the  Kanuri  people,  or  rather  their 
'ulama,  began  to  commit  to  writing  the  most  important  facts  of 
their  history.  This  question  we  are  fortunately  enabled,  from 
Imam  Ahmed's  work,  to  answer  satisfactorily ;  namely,  that 
there  existed  no  written  record  whatever  of  the  history  of  his 
country  previous  to  the  King  Edris  Katakarmabi,  whose  reign 
falls  in  the  first  half  of  the  sixteenth  century  of  our  era.  For 
when  that  writer  refers  to  facts  of  the  older  history,  he  is  only 
able  to  cite  as  his  authority  oral  information  received  from  old 
men  versed  in  historical  tradition ;  and  he  evidently  mentions 
as  the  oldest  author  of  a  written  history  the  fakih  Masfarma 
'Omar  ben  'Othman,  who  wrote  the  history  of  the  king  in  ques- 
tion. 

The  annals,  therefore,  of  the  time  preceding  the  period  of  this 
king  and  of  his  predecessor,  'Ali  Gajideni,  appear  to  be  based 
entirely  upon  oral  information,  and  can  not  but  be  liable  to  a 
certain  degree  of  inaccuracy  as  to  the  actions  attributed  to  each 
king,  the  length  of  their  respective  reigns,  and  even  the  order 
of  succession,  where  it  was  not  dependent  on  genealogy  or  de- 
scent. For  it  would  be  the  extreme  of  hypercriticism  to  deny 
that  the  royal  fainily  of  Bornu,  in  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  could  not  or  may  not  justly  be  supposed  to  have  pre- 
served with  great  precision  their  line  of  descent  for  fifteen  or 
twenty  generations ;  and  in  this  respect  the  chronicle  No.  1  is 
entirely  confirmed  and  borne  out  by  Imam  Ahmed,  who,  in  the 
introduction  to  his  history,  gives  the  pedigree  of  his  master, 
Edris  Alawoma,  up  to  his  first  royal  ancestor,  while  the  difier- 
ence  in  the  form  of  the  names,  and  one  slight  variance  in  the 
order  of  succession,  as  given  by  these  two  documents,  is  a 
plain  proof  that  they  have  not  been  borrowed  from  each  other,  • 
but  have  been  based  on  independent  autliorities. 

The  disagreement  in  question  is  certainly  a  remarkable  one, 
but  it  is  easily  explained.  For  J\lakrizi,  in  harmony  with  the 
extract  from  the  chronicle,  names  the  father  of  the  kings  Edris 
and  Daud  (whose  reign  lie  places  about  the  year  7 00  of  the  Hej- 
ra)  Ibrahim,  while  Imam  Ahmed  calls  them  sons  of  Nikale,  son 

Vol.  IL— B 


18 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


of  Ibrahim  ;  and  this  is  the  general  statement  of  the  natives  of 
the  country  even  at  the  present  time,  every  educated  man  know- 
ing "  Daud  tata  Nikalebe,"  or  Daud  Nikalemi.  The  fact  is  that 
the  name  Biri,  which  the  chronicle  attributes  to  the  father  of  Ib- 
rahim, the  grandfather  of  Edris  and  Daud,  being  a  variation  of 
the  form  Biram,  is  identical  with  Ibrahim,  whence  it  appears  that 
Nikale  was  another  name  of  Ibrahim,  the  son  of  Biri.  The  same 
is  the  case  with  regard  to  the  names  A^hmed  and  Dunama,  which 
are  identical,  if  not  with  regard  to  their  meanings,  at  least  with 
regard  to  their  applications,  as  well  as  the  names  Selma  or  Sel- 
mama  and  'Abd  el  Jelil. 

This  general  harmony  between  the  pedigree  of  the  Bornu 
kings  as  given  by  the  chronicle  No.  1  and  the  Imam  A^hmed, 
a  learned  and  clever  man  in  a  high  position,  and  in  constant 
connection  with  the  court,  is,  I  think,  very  satisfactory,  and  the 
more  so  if  we  take  into  consideration  that,  from  a  reason  which 
I  shall  soon  mention,  and  which,  at  the  same  time,  is  a  strong 
argument  in  favor  of  the  authenticity  of  these  two  documents, 
the  pedigree  as  given  by  them  is  not  the  only  one  current  in 
Bornu,  but  the  line  of  descent  and  succession  varies  greatly  in 
one  of  the  two  other  short  chronicles  which  are  mentioned  in 
No.  2,  while  the  third  one,  which  does  not  appear  to  make  any 
pretensions  to  completeness,  can  not  be  taken  into  account 
here.  Hence,  as  far  as  regards  the  line  of  descent  or  succession, 
I  have  not  thought  these  two  lists  worthy  of  attention,  except 
only  with  regard  to  the  reign  following  that  of  the  58th  king,  if 
we  count  the  reign  of  the  usurper  S'aid  'Ali,  the  son  of  Haj 
'Omar.  For  here  the  chronicle  No.  1  has  omitted,  by  mistake 
or  negligence,  the  well-established  reign  of  Edris  ben  'Ali,  who, 
succeeding  to  his  father  'Ali,  preceded  his  younger  brother  Du- 
nama ben  'All,  and  reigned  20  years.* 

What  I  have  here  said  with  regard  to  the  authenticity  of  the 
chronicle  refers  only  to  the  line  of  descent  and  succession  of 

*  Indeed,  in  the  copy  which  I  sent  to  Europe,  the  copyist  has  corrected  this 
error ;  but,  unfortunately,  instead  of  inserting  this  reign  in  the  right  place,  he  has 
added  the  twenty  years  to  the  thirty-three  years  of  the  reign  of  the  elder  Edris 
ben  'Alf. 


CHKONOLOGY. 


19 


the  kings  mentioned ;  but,  of  course,  it  is  quite  another  ques- 
tion, if  we  take  into  view  the  length  of  time  attributed  to  the 
reign  of  each  succeeding  king.  But  even  here  the  dates  of  the 
chronicle  are  confirmed  in  a  most  surprising  and  satisfactory- 
manner  by  the  history  of  Imam  A^hmed,  who,  in  relating  the 
successful  expedition  of  Edris  A^'aishami  to  Kanem,  states  that 
from  the  time  when  Daud  Xikalemi  was  obliged  to  leave  his 
capital  Njimiye,  down  to  the  period  when  Edris  made  his  en- 
trance into  it,  122  years  elapsed.  Now,  according  to  the  dates 
of  the  chronicle,  between  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Daud  and  the 
beginning  of  the  reign  of  Edris,  who  is  expressly  stated  by  the 
historian  to  have  undertaken  that  expedition  in  the  first  year 
of  his  reign,  there  intervened  exactly  121  years.  And,  indeed, 
we  see  from  the  imam's  account,  that  most  people  thought  this 
was  the  real  length  of  the  period,  and  not  122  years ;  so  well 
were  the  educated  inhabitants  of  Bornu  at  that  time  acquainted 
with  tne  history  of  their  country.  Perhaps,  also.  Imam  A^h- 
med  wishes  here  to  refute  ^lasfarma,  the  historian  of  Edris 
A^'aishami,  who  adhered  to  the  general  opinion. 

Unfortunately,  the  length  of  the  several  reigns  is  our  only 
guide  with  regard  to  the  chronology  of  this  history,  as  neither 
the  chronicle  nor  even  Imam  A^hmed  specifies  particular  years 
with  reference  to  any  of  the  events  which  they  mention.  This 
is  indeed  a  very  great  defect,  not  so  apparent  in  the  dry  chron- 
icle as  in  the  account  of  the  learned  priest ;  and  it  seems  al- 
most inconceivable,  as  he  is  very  particular,  not  only  with  re- 
gard to  seasons,  but  even  to  months  and  days,  mentioning  with 
great  exactness  on  what  day  of  the  month  his  master  did  so  and 
so,  and  even  disputing,  in  this  respect,  slight  variations  of  opin- 
ion. If  he  had  only  given  us  the  date  of  a  single  year,  we  should 
be  much  better  off  as  to  the  chronology  of  the  history  of  Bornu. 
As  it  is,  if  we  put  out  of  account  other  chronological  data  which 
we  are  fortunately  in  possession  of,  in  order  to  reduce  to  chro- 
nology the  events  mentioned  by  the  chronicle,  we  can  only  reck- 
on backward  the  number  of  years  attributed  by  it  to  the  reign 
of  each  successive  king,  commencing  from  the  death  of  Sultan 
Dunama,  who,  in  the  year  A.H.  1233,  was  killed  in  the  battle 


20 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


at  Ngala  (written  "  Gliala"  in  Arabic,  but  called  "  Angala"  by 
the  members  of  the  former  expedition).* 

If  we  now  count  together  the  years  attributed  to  each  reign, 
proceeding  in  a  backward  order,  and  beginning  with  the  end  of 
the  year  H.  1233,  we  obtain,  in  an  inverse  order,  the  following 
chronological  dates  for  the  more  important  periods  of  the  his- 
tory of  Bornu. 

Beginning  of  the  reign  of  Avuma   391  1000,  1 

Beginning  of  the  reign  of  Hume,  the  first  Moslim  king         479  108G 
Reign  of  Diinama  Dibalami,  the  warlike  and  daring  king 

who  spoiled  the  talisman  of  Bornu   GI8-608  1221-1259,  60 

Beginning  of  the  reign  of  Ibrahim  Nikalemi   707  1307 

Beginning  of  the  reign  of  Edris  ben  Ibrahim   754  1353 

End  of  the  reign  of  Daiid,  who  succumbed  to  the  Bulala         789  1387 

End  of  the  reign  of  'Othman  ben  Edris   795  1392,  3 

The  reign  of 'Omar,  who  abandoned  his  residence  in  Ka- 

nem  altogether,  ceding  it  to  the  Bulala   796-799  1393-1396 

Beginning  of  the  reign  of  'Ali  Dunamami   877  1472 

Beginning  of  the  reign  of  Edris  Katarkamabi   911  1505 

Beginning  of  the  reign  of  Edris  Alawoma   980  1572 

Beginning  of  the  reign  of  Haj  'Omar   1036  1626,  7 

Beginning  of  the  reign  of  'Ali  ben  Haj  'Omar   1055  1645 

*  I  have  here  to  correct  an  error  made  by  ]\Ir.  Blan,  the  translator  of  the 
chronicle,  who,  owing  to  a  mere  slip  of  the  pen  in  the  document,  has  been  in- 
duced to  insert  between  the  reign  of  the  50th,  or,  according  to  him  (as  he  does 
not  count  the  usurper  S'aid),  the  49th  king,  Mohammed  son  of  Edris,  and  the 
51st,  'All  son  of  Zineb,  another  king  also  named  Mohammed,  with  a  reign  like- 
wise of  19  years.  But  to  every  one  who  reads  the  chronicle  with  attention,  and 
is  aware  of  its  negligent  character,  it  must  be  evident  that  in  the  article  in  ques- 
tion it  is  only  by  mistake  that  Mohammed,  when  mentioned  the  second  time,  is 
called  the  son  of  Diinama  instead  of  Edris.  There  is  certainly  some  difficulty  in 
the  passage  in  question,  with  regard  to  the  circumstance  that  this  prince  is  said 
to  have  resided  19  (years?)  at  Lade ;  but  it  is  easily  to  be  explained,  when  we 
remember  that  even  at  the  present  day  there  is  such  a  place  in  the  neighborhood 
of  old  Birni  (Denham  and  Clapperton's  Travels,  vol.  i.,  p.  150,  152) ;  another 
place  of  the  same  name  was  situated  a  few  days  X.E,  from  Ghambarii,  on  the 
road  to  Kanem.  But,  be  this  as  it  may,  the  historical  introduction  of  Imam 
A'hmed  to  his  account  of  the  reign  of  Edris  A"aishami  Alawoma,  where  he  pass- 
es in  review  the  proceedings  of  this  king's  predecessors  with  regard  to  Kanem, 
leaves  not  the  least  doubt  about  the  line  of  succession.  As  for  the  length  of  the 
reign  of  Edris  ben  'Ali,  the  54th  king,  there  was,  as  I  have  mentioned  above,  a 
mistake  in  the  copy  from  which  the  translation  was  made,  giving  53  years  in- 
stead of  33 ;  but  these  20  years  just  compensate  for  the  20  years  of  the  homony- 
mous King  Edris  ben  'Ali,  which,  just  on  account  of  the  homonymy,  have  been 
left  out  by  mistake,  adding  the  20  years  due  to  him  to  the  reign  of  the  elder  king 
of  the  same  name. 


CHRONOLOGY. 


21 


Having  obtained  these  dates,  we  have  first  to  observe  that  to 
fill  up  the  period  from  Ajuma  to  Dhu  Yazan,  the  presumed  an- 
cestor of  the  Sefuwa,  and  even  known  as  such  to  Abu'l  Feda  as 
well  as  to  Makrizi,  and  whose  age  (as  being  that  of  a  man  who 
predicted  the  coming  of  the  prophet)  is  fixed  beyond  all  doubt, 
only  six  generations  are  left.  This  is  the  circumstance  which  I 
mentioned  above  as  speaking  greatly  in  favor  of  the  authenticity 
of  this  cln'onicle  and  its  genealogies,  even  with  regard  to  the 
more  remote  times  ;  for,  if  it  had  not  been  necessary  to  preserve 
scrupulously  a  well-established  line  of  succession,  how  easy 
would  it  have  been  to  introduce  a  few  more  individuals  in  order 
to  fill  up  this  blank,  as  has  been  done  in  the  other  list  {b),  in- 
stead of  admitting  the  palpable  nonsense  of  attributing  to  the 
two  oldest  kings  a  reign  of  from  250  to  300  years.  Even  Sef 
and  Ibrahim,  the  first  two  princes  of  the  line,  are,  I  think,  quite 
historical  persons,  whose  existence  was  so  w^ell  established  that 
a  conscientious  chronicler  could  not  change  any  thing  in  the 
number  of  years  attributed  to  the  length  of  their  reigns. 

Following,  therefore,  the  hints  given  lo  us  by  the  chronicle 
itself,  we  fix  the  foundation  of  the  dynasty  of  the  Sefuwa  in  Ka- 
nem  about  the  middle  of  the  third  century  after  ]\Iohammed,  or 
a  little  before  the  year  900  of  our  era.  We  shall  afterward  re- 
turn to  this  circumstance. 

Now  we  shall  first  see  how  triumphantly  the  authenticity  of 
the  chronicle  is  confirmed  in  every  respect  by  the  occasional  re- 
marks made  by  ^lakrizi  and  Ebn  Batuta  with  regard  to  the 
history  of  Bornu. 

Unfortunately,  the  oldest  date  which  ]\Iakrizi  (on  the  author- 
ity, as  it  would  seem,  of  Eb^n  S'aid)  mentions  with  regard  to 
Kanem,*  namely,  an  expedition  made  by  its  king  into  the  fer- 
tile districts  of  Mabina  m  the  year  H.  650,  can  not  be  used  as 
a  sufficient  test  of  the  authenticity  of  the  chronicle,  as  the  his- 
torian does  not  mention  the  name  of  the  king ;  but  the  deed  itself 
harmonizes  exceedingly  well  with  the  warlike  and  enterprising 
character  of  Dunama  Dibalami,  whose  reign,  according  to  our 
chronicle,  falls  between  the  years  618  and  658.  Just  the  same 
*  Hamaker,  Specimen  Catal.,  p.  107. 


22 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


is  to  be  said  of  the  fact  mentioned  by  E^bn  Khaldun,  who,  in  his 
valuable  history  of  the  Berbers,  which  has  been  recently  made 
accessible  to  all,  relates*  the  interesting  fact  that,  among  other 
valuable  presents,  a  giraffe  was  sent  by  the  King  of  Kanem  (to 
whom,  even  at  that  early  date,  he  gives  the  title  of  "Master  of 
Bornu")  to  Abu  'Abd- Allah  el  Mostanser,  the  King  of  Tunis,  in 
the  year  of  the  Hejra  655.  The  same  historian,  in  another 
passage  of  his  work,  referring  to  the  year  656,  mentions  again 
the  King  of  Kanem  as  having  caused  the  death  of  a  son  of  Ka- 
rakosh  el  Ghozzi  el  Modafferi,  the  well-known  adventurous 
chieftain  who  had  tried  to  establish  himself  in  Wadan.f 

But,  fortunately,  we  have  other  data  which  afford  us  a  very 
fair  test.  According  to  Makrizi,t  not  long  after  the  close  of  the 
seventh  century  of  the  Hejra  (fi  hedud  sennet  seb'a  mayet),  the 
king  of  Kanem  was  Haj  Ibrahim ;  after  him  reigned  his  son.  El 
Haj  Edris — the  historian  does  not  say  that  he  immediately  suc- 
ceeded his  father ;  then  Daud,  the  brother  of  Edris,  and  another 
son  of  Ibrahim ;  then  'Omar,  the  son  of  Baud's  elder  brother, 
Haj  Edris ;  and  then  'Othman,  the  brother  of  the  former,  and 
another  son  of  Edris.  Makrizi  adds  that  this  last-named  king 
reigned  shortly  before  A.H.  800 ;  and  then  he  states  that  the 
inhabitants  of  Kanem  revolted  against  the  successors  of  Ibra- 
him, and  made  themselves  independent,  but  that  Bornu  remain- 
ed their  kingdom. 

All  these  dates  given  by  Makrizi,  as  may  be  seen  from  the 
few  most  important  events  which  I  have  extracted  from  the 
chronicle,  are  in  most  surprising  harmony  with  the  information 
conveyed  in  a  dry  and  sterile  but  uncorrupted  way  by  the  lat- 
ter. Notwithstanding  the  slight  discrepancy  in  the  order  of 
succession  of  the  later  kings,  whose  reign  was  of  very  short 

*  E'bn  Khaldun,  ed.  Macguckin  de  Slane,  Alger.,  1847,  vol.  i.,  p.  429.  With 
regard  to  the  friendship  existing  between  the  Bern  Hafis  and  the  kings  of  Kanem, 
see  E'bn  Khaldun,  vol.  i.,  p.  263. 

t  E'bn  Khaldun,  vol.  i.,  p.  300,  transl.  vol.  ii.,  p.  96.  E'bn  Khaldun,  according 
to  his  own  statement,  follows  here  the  authority  of  the  sheikh  Abu-Mohammed, 
e'  Tijani.    Compare  Journal  Asiatique,  4me  serie,  vol.  xx.,  p.  158. 

X  Makrizi,  Hamaker,  Specimen  Catal.,  p.  206.  Makrizi  is  mistaken  in  sup- 
posing Kanem  to  be  a  town  and  the  capital  of  Bornu. 


E'BN  BATU'TA  AND  ^lAKRI  ZI. 


23 


duration,  and  whose  relationship  is  rather  perplexing,  is  it  pos- 
sible to  find  a  harmony  more  complete  than  this,  if  we  take  into 
consideration  the  only  way  in  which  Makrizi  could  have  obtained 
his  information,  that  is  to  say,  from  merchants  or  pilgrims  visit- 
ing Egypt  on  their  way  to  Mekka  ?* 

We  now  come  to  E^bn  Batuta  ;  and  we  again  find  the  same 
surprising  harmony  between  the  fact  regarding  Bornu,  as  men- 
tioned by  him,  and  the  dates  of  the  chronicle.  The  famous  and 
enterprising  traveler  of  Tangiers,  on  his  return-journey  from  his 
visit  to  Western  Sudan,  left  the  capital  of  Melle  or  Mali  (that 
is,  Mungo  Park's  Jara)  the  22d  of  ]\Ioharrem,  754,  and,  proceed- 
mg  by  way  of  Timbuktu  or  Tumbutu,  and  thence  down  the 
Tsa  or  Niger  to  Gagho  or  Gogo,  and  thence  to  Tekadda,t  in 
speaking  about  the  copper  found  in  the  mines  near  this  town, 

*  ]MakrIzi  has  two  other  interesting  statements  with  regard  to  the  kings  of 
Kanem,  which,  aUhough  they  certainly  can  not  lay  claim  to  absolute  accuracy, 
nevertheless  have  evidently  reference  to  certain  facts  which  the  diligent  histori- 
an, placed  at  such  a  distance  from  the  object  of  his  inquiry,  has  not  rightly  un- 
derstood. The  first  of  these  passages  (Hamaker,  p.  206)  states  that  Mohammed 
the  son  of  JIl  (so —  — ^^^^  name  is  to  be  read,  instead  of  the  absurd  Jebl 
or  Jabal),  that  is,  most  probably,  JIl  Shikomemi,  the  founder  of  the  dynasty  of 
the  Bulala,  was  the  first  of  them  who  accepted  the  Mohammedan  creed :  this 
statement  evidently  regards  the  dynasty  of  the  Bulala,  who,  at  the  time  when 
Makrizi  wrote,  had  driven  the  Bornu  dynasty  out  of  Kanem,  and  it  does  not  at 
all  atfect  the  statement  of  the  chronicle,  which  calls  Hume  the  first  Moslim  king 
of  Bornu.  The  second  passage  of  the  celebrated  historian  of  Egypt  (Quatremere, 
Memoires  sur  I'Egypt,  t.  ii.,  p.  28  ;  Burckhardt,  Travels  in  Nubia,  2d  edit.,  App. 
iii.,  p.  456,  f.)  is  very  remarkable ;  and,  although  we  are  not  yet  able  to  under- 
stand perfectly  its  real  purport,  nevertheless  it  seems  to  refer  to  some  circum- 
stance of  great  interest ;  for,  according  to  this  statement,  the  Islam  was  intro- 
duced into  Kanem  by  Hady  el  'Othmani,  a  pretended  descendant  of  the  Khalif 
'Othman,  even  before  the  period  of  the  Sefuwa,  or  the  Yazaniyi'n  (descendants  of 
Dhu  Yazan).  Here  the  excellent  inquirer  has  most  probably  confounded  the 
successors  of  Hume  with  the  Diiguwa,  forgetting  that  even  the  dynasty  of  the  pa- 
gan Duguwa  belonged  to  the  Sefuwa.  In  other  respects  this  statement  is  in  per- 
fect harmony  with  the  common  tradition  of  the  Bornu  people  —  that  the  Islam 
was  brought  to  the  Sefuwa,  when  they  were  still  settled  in  Burgu,  by  a  special 
messenger  of  the  Prophet. 

t  See  vol.  i.,  p.  365.  I  will  here  only  mention  that  the  forty  days'  journey 
stated  by  E'bn  Batuta  to  intervene  between  Tekadda  and  Bornu  are  to  be  count- 
ed, as  it  seems,  to  Njimiye,  the  old  capital  of  Kanem;  Birni,  or  rather  Ghasreg- 
gomo,  at  least,  not  being  founded  at  that  time. 


24 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


relates  that  the  bars  made  of  it  were  exported  to  Gober  and 
Eagha  (or  rather  Raghaj),  and  also  to  Bornu,  and  then  adds 
the  interesting  fact  that  the  name  of  the  ruling  king  of  the  lat- 
ter country  was  Edris. 

Now,  if  we  follow  implicitly  the  dates  of  the  chronicle,  Edris 
ben  Ibrahim  (Nikale)  ascended  the  throne  in  that  very  year 
(753)  when,  according  to  this  precious  and  unimpeachable  testi- 
mony of  the  illustrious  and  intelligent  traveler,  he  actually  oc- 
cupied the  throne. 

The  very  remarkable  and  really  surprising  harmony  here 
shown  to  exist  between  the  chronicle  and  the  dates  which  have 
come  to  our  knowledge  from  other  sources  will,  I  hope,  give  to 
any  unprejudiced  mind  some  degree  of  confidence  in  the  authen- 
ticity of  that  document,  and  will  make  him  aware  of  its  superi- 
ority over  the  information  of  a  man  like  Leo  Africanus,  or  rather 
Hasen  Ebn  Mohammed  el  Wasas,  who,  though  he  undoubtedly 
has,  and  will  always  have,  the  merit  of  having  given  to  Europe 
a  clear  general  view  of  the  political  and  linguistic  groups  of  Cen- 
tral Africa,  yet,  on  account  of  the  manner  in  which  his  report 
was  drawn  up  (merely  from  memory,  after  the  lapse  of  many 
years),  can  not  be  a  decisive  authority  on  any  special  circum- 
stance. Hence,  when  he  states  that  the  name  of  the  King  of 
Bornu,  at  the  time  when  he  visited  the  country,  was  Abraham 
(Ibrahim),  we  may  confidently  assume  that  he  is  wrong,  and 
that  he  speaks  of  the  illustrious  conqueror  'AH  ben  Dunama, 
who  restored  peace  and  glory  to  that  distracted  country,  and, 
on  account  of  his  warlike  character  and  his  various  expeditions, 
obtained  the  surname  El  Ghazi.  I  shall  return  to  this  subject 
in  the  chronological  table,  in  speaking  of  the  reign  of  'AH  ben 
Dunama. 

As  for  the  document  mentioned  above  as  No.  5,  it  contains  a 
few  valuable  dates  with  regard  to  those  Bornu  kings  who  reign- 
ed near  the  time  when  the  author  obtained  his  information  in 
Tripoli,  while  for  the  older  times,  about  which  the  people  could 
only  inform  him  jpar  tradition  de  leurs  jplres^^''  his  informa- 
tion is  of  little  value.  The  most  important  dates  which  it  con- 
tains are  those  which  have  reference  to  the  time  of  the  accession 


ACCURACY  OF  THE  CHRONICLE. 


25 


to  the  throne  of  the  three  Bornu  kings,  'Abd- Allah  ben  Duna- 
ma,  Haj  'Omar,  and  Haj  'Ali ;  and  these  vary  but  little  from 
the  dates  computed  from  the  chronicle,  and  serve,  therefore,  to 
confirm  its  accuracy. 

However,  it  is  not  my  design  to  vindicate  this  chronicle  from 
all  possibility  of  eiTor ;  but  my  object  is  to  show  that  its  gen- 
eral character,  dry  and  meagre  as  it  is,  has  the  strongest  claim 
to  authenticity.  Indeed,  I  am  sure  that  it  can  be  fully  relied 
upon,  all  uncertainty  being  reduced  to  a  space  of  one  or  two 
years ;  I  may  therefore  be  allowed  to  assert  that  the  chronolog- 
ical table,  which  I  shall  give  in  the  Appendix,  is  something  more 
than  a  mere  fairy  tale.  But  in  this  place,  I  think  it  well  to  offer 
a  few  general  remarks  on  tlie  characteristic  features  of  the  his- 
tory of  Bornu. 

I  have  first  to  speak  of  the  origin  of  the  Sefuwa  or  Duguwa. 
We  have  already  seen  that  the  chronology  of  the  Bornu  people, 
if  palpable  absurdities  be  left  out  of  consideration,  does  not  car- 
ry their  history  further  down  than  the  latter  half  of  the  ninth 
century  of  our  era.  Accordingly,  there  can  be  no  further  ques- 
tion as  to  whether  Sef  was  really  the  son  of  the  celebrated  Dhu 
Yazan,  and  identical  with  Sef  Dhu  Yazan,  the  last  native  ruler 
of  the  Himyaritic  kingdom,  who  celebrated  his  accession  to  the 
throne  in  the  famous  castle  of  Gum  dan,  and  with  the  assistance 
of  Klliosru  Parvis  liberated  Yeman  from  the  dominion  of  the 
Abyssinians.  I  frankly  confess  that,  while  Ibrahim  the  son  of 
Sef,  as  "  father  of  the  king"  (as  he  appears  to  have  been  entitled 
occasionally),  seems  to  me  to  have  a  really  historical  character, 
I  entertain  sincere  doubts  whether  Sef  be  not  a  mere  imaginary 
personage,  introduced  into  the  pedigree  expressly  in  order  to 
connect  it  with  Yeman.  Indeed,  in  one  short  list  of  Bornu 
kings  which  I  possess,  several  princes  are  mentioned  before  Sef, 
whose  names,  such  as  Futirmi,  Halar  Sukayami,  Halarmi,  Bu- 
numi,  Rizalmi,  Mairimi,  have  quite  a  Kanuri  character.  As  the 
reader  wiU  see,  I  do  not  at  all  doubt  of  some  connection  exist- 
ing between  the  ruling  family  of  Bornu  and  the  Himyaritic  or 
Kushitic  stock,  but  I  doubt  its  immediate  descent  from  the 
royal  Himyaritic  family. 


26 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


But,  be  this  as  it  may,  I  think  that  Leo  Africanus,  who  is  a 
very  good  authority  for  general  relations,  is  right  in  stating  that 
the  kings  of  Bornu  originated  from  the  Libyan  tribe  of  the  Bar- 
doa,  a  tribe  also  mentioned  by  Makn'zi  as  Berd'oa.  That  there 
is  an  ethnological  connection  between  the  names  Bernu  or  Bornu, 
Bonga,  Bcrd'oa,  Berdama,  Berauni,  Berber,  can  scarcely  be  doubt- 
ed; but  to  many  the  Berd'oa  might  seem  to  have  nearer  relation 
with  the  Teda  or  Tebu  than  with  the  real  Berber  or  Mazigh. 
Sultan  Bello  certainly,  in  the  introduction  to  his  history  of  the 
conquests  of  the  Fulbe,  expressly  says  that  the  Bornu  dynasty 
was  of  Berber  origin ;  and  it  is  on  this  account  that  the  Hausa 
people  call  every  Bornu  man  "  ba-Berberche,"*  and  the  Bornu 
nation  "B^rbere."  This  view  of  the  subject  is  confirmed  by 
the  distinct  statement  of  Makrizi,t  who  says  that  that  was 
the  common  tradition  of  the  people  at  his  time — "it  is  said 
that  they  are  descended  from  the  Berbers" — and,  moreover,  in 
another  passage^  informs  us  that  the  King  of  Kanem  was  a 
nomade  or  wanderer,  although  it  seems  that  this  statement  re- 
fers properly  to  the  Bulala  dynasty. 

Before  the  time  of  Selma,  or  Selmama,  the  son  of  Bikoru, 
whose  reign  began  about  A.H.  581,  the  kings  are  stated  by  the 
chronicle  to  have  been  of  a  red  complexion, §  like  the  Arabs ; 
and  to  such  an  origin  from  the  red  race,  the  Syrian-Berber 
stock,  is  certainly  to  be  referred  their  custom  of  covering  the 
face  and  never  showing  the  mouth,  to  which  custom  E^bn  Ba- 
tuta  adverts  in  speaking  of  King  Edris,  who  ruled  in  his  time. 
To  this  origin  is  also  to  be  referred  the  custom,  till  recently 
practiced,  of  putting  the  new  king  upon  a  shield  and  raising 
him  up  over  the  heads  of  the  people,  ||  as  well  as  the  polity  of 
the  empire,  which  originally  was  entirely  aristocratical,  based 

*  This  "ba"  is  evidently  the  indefinite  article  a,  corresponding  to  the  Berber 
"va."    Compare  what  I  have  said  in  vol.  i.  about  "ba-Tiire." 
t  See  the  second  passage  referred  to  in  the  note,  p.  23. 

X  Maknzi,  Hamaker,  p.  206,  Jl^J  'r:^)'^  >^  J  * 

§  Even  the  governor  of  Zinder  is  still  complimented  in  the  songs  to  his  praise 
as  "ja"  (red). 

II  Compare  with  this  custom  E'bn  Batuta's  description  of  a  similar  custom  in 
Timbuktu,  Journal  Asiat.,  serie  iv.,  t.  i.,  p.  226. 


METHOD  OF  CHOOSING  A  KING. 


27 


upon  a  council  of  twelve  chiefs,  without  whose  assent  nothing 
of  importance  could  be  undertaken  by  the  king. 

We  have  a  very  curious  statement  concerning  the  Bornu  em- 
pire, emanating  from  Lucas,  the  traveler  employed  by  the  Afri- 
can Association,*  and  based  on  the  authority  of  his  Arab  in- 
formants, principally  Ben  'AH,  who,  no  doubt,  was  a  very  clever 
and  intelligent  man.  He  describes  the  Bornu  kingdom  as  an 
elective  monarchy,  the  privilege  of  choosing  a  successor  among 
the  sons  of  a  deceased  king,  without  regard  to  priority  of  birth, 
being  conferred  by  the  nation  on  three  of  the  most  distinguished 
men  of  the  country.  He  does  not  say  whether  these  belonged 
to  the  courtiers,  or  whether  every  private  individual  might  be 
called  upon  promiscuously  to  fulfill  this  important  duty ;  but 
the  strict  etiquette  of  the  court  of  Bornu  makes  it  probable  that 
the  former  was  the  case. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  the  choice  being  made,  the  three  electors 
proceeded  to  the  apartment  of  the  sovereign  elect,  and  conducted 
him  in  silence  to  the  gloomy  place  in  which  the  unburied  corpse 
of  his  deceased  father  was  deposited ;  for,  till  this  whole  cere- 
mony was  gone  through,  the  deceased  could  not  be  interred. 
There,  over  the  corpse  of  his  deceased  father,  the  newly-elect- 
ed king  seems  to  have  entered  into  some  sort  of  compromise 
sanctioned  by  oath,  binding  himself  that  he  would  respect  the 
ancient  institutions,  and  employ  himself  for  the  glory  of  the 
country. 

I  shall  have  to  mention  a  similar  custom  still  prevailing  at 
the  present  day  in  the  province  of  Muniyo,  which  belonged  to 
that  part  of  the  empire  called  Yeri,  while  the  dynasty  of  the 
Muniyoma  probably  descended  from  the  Berber  race.  Ev- 
ery newly  elected  Muniyoma  still  at  the  present  day  is  in 
duty  bound  to  remain  for  seven  days  in  a  cave  hollowed  out  by 
nature  or  by  the  hand  of  man  in  the  rock  behind  the  place  of 
sepulchre  of  the  former  Muniyoma,  in  the  ancient  town  of  Gam- 
masak,  although  it  is  quite  deserted  at  present,  and  does  not 
contain  a  living  soul. 


*  Proceedings  of  the  African  Association,  vol.  i.,  p.  148,  f. 


28 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


But  that  not  only  the  royal  family,  but  even  a  great  part  of 
the  whole  nation,  or  rather  one  of  the  nations  which  were  in- 
corporated into  the  Bornu  empire,  was  of  Berber  origin,  is  still 
clear  so  late  as  the  time  of  Edris  Alawoma,  that  is  to  say,  only 
two  centuries  and  a  half  ago  ;  for,  in  the  report  of  his  expedi- 
tions, constant  mention  is  made  of  the  Berber  tribes  ("  kabaii 
el  Beraber")  as  a  large  component  part  of  his  army,  and  con- 
stantly two  parts  of  this  army  are  distinguished  as  the  Reds, 
"el  Alihmar,"  and  the  Blacks,  "e'  Sud."* 

This  part  of  the  population  of  Bornu  has  separated  from  the 
rest,  I  suspect,  in  consequence  of  the  policy  of  'All,  the  son  and 
successor  of  Haj  'Omar,  a  very  warlike  prince,  who,  in  the  sec- 
ond half  of  the  17th  century,  waged  a  long  war  with  A^'gades. 

Viewed  in  the  light  thus  shed  by  past  history,  the  continual 
and  uninterrupted  warlike  expeditions  made  by  the  Tawarek  at 
the  present  time  against  the  northern  regions  of  Bornu  and 
against  Kanem  assume  quite  a  new  and  far  more  interesting 
character. 

Now  if  it  be  objected  that  the  Kaniiri  or  Bornu  language  does 
not  appear  to  contain  any  Berber  elementsf  (which,  indeed,  it 
does  not),  I  have  only  to  adduce  the  exactly  parallel  example 
of  the  Bulala,  a  brother  dynasty  of  the  Bornu  royal  family,  de- 
scended from  the  same  stock,  who,  having  settled  and  founded 
a  dynasty  among  the  tribe  of  the  Kuka,  in  the  territory  Fittri, 
still  continued  to  speak  their  native  language,  that  is,  the  Ka- 
nuri,  in  the  time  of  Leo,j:  but  have  now  entirely  forgotten  it, 

*  Makrfzi  says  of  the  inhabitants  of  Kanem  in  general  that  they  were  mola- 
themun,  that  is  to  say,  they  covered  their  faces  with  a  litham.  The  names  of 
towns  like  Berberwa  and  others  may  be  also  mentioned  here.  Compare  Leo's 
expression,  "Negri  e  Bianchi." 

t  In  the  vocabulary  of  the  Kanuri  language  a  few  words  may  easily  be  discov- 
ered which  have  some  relation  to  the  Berber  language,  the  most  remarkable 
among  which  seems  to  me  the  term  for  ten,  "meghu,"  which  is  eA'idently  con- 
nected with  the  Temashight  word  "  merau,"  or  rather  "meghaii ;"  but  the  gram- 
mar is  entirely  distinct,  and  approaches  the  Central  Asiatic  or  Turanian  stock. 

X  Leo,  when  he  says  that  the  language  of  Gaoga  is  identical  with  the  Bormi 
language,  does  not  speak  of  the  language  of  the  whole  nation,  but  only  of  that  of 
the  ruling  tribe,  the  Bidala.  But  of  this  interesting  fact  I  shall  say  more  on  an- 
other occasion. 


THE  BERBER  RACE. 


29 


adopting  the  language  of  the  people  over  whom  they  ruled ; 
and  similar  examples  are  numerous. 

A  second  point  which  deserves  notice  is  that  the  Kanuri,  even 
at  the  present  day,  call  people  in  general,  but  principally  their 
kings,  always  after  the  name  of  their  mother,  and  that  the  name 
of  the  mother's  tribe  is  almost  continually  added  in  the  chronicle 
as  a  circumstance  of  the  greatest  importance.  Thus  the  famous 
king  Dunama  ben  Selm'aa  is  known  in  Bornu  generally  only 
under  the  name  of  Dibalami,  from  the  name  of  his  mother  Diba- 
la  ;  and  the  full  form  of  his  royal  title  is  Dibalami  Dunama  Sel- 
mami,  his  mother's  name,  as  the  most  noble  and  important,  pre- 
ceding his  individual  name,  which  is  followed  by  the  name  de- 
rived from  his  fatlier.  It  is  also  evident,  even  from  the  dry  and 
jejune  report  of  the  chronicle,  what  powerful  influence  the  Wa- 
lide  or  "Magira" — this  is  her  native  title — exercised  in  tlie  af- 
fairs of  the  kingdom ;  I  need  only  mention  the  examples  of 
Gumsu  ("  gumsu"  means  the  chief  wife)  Fasami,  who  imprison- 
ed her  son  Biri,  when  already  king,  for  a  whole  year,  and  of 
A^'aishad  or  'Aisa,  the  mother  of  Edris,  who  for  a  number  of 
years  exercised  such  paramount  authority  that  in  some  lists, 
and  even  by  many  'ulama  at  the  present  time,  her  name  is  in- 
serted in  the  list  of  the  sovereigns  of  the  country. 

These  circumstances  may  be  best  explained  by  supposing 
that  a  kind  of  compromise  took  place  between  the  strangers — 
Berbers,  or,  rather,  Imoshagli  (^lazigh)  from  the  tribe  of  the 
Berd'or — and  the  tribe  or  tribes  among  whom  they  settled,  just 
in  the  same  manner  as  we  have  seen  that  a  stipulation  of  the 
same  kind  was  probably  made  between  the  conquering  Kel-owi 
and  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Air  of  the  Gober  race ;  and  the 
same  circumstances,  with  similar  results,  are  observable  in  an- 
cient times,  in  the  relations  subsisting  between  the  Grecian  col- 
onists and  the  original  inhabitants  of  Lycia. 

The  most  important  among  the  indigenous  tribes  of  Kanem 
are  the  Kiye  or  Beni  Kiya,  also  mentioned  in  the  time  of  Edris 
Alawoma,*  the  Megharmah,  who  may  possibly  be  identical  with 


or  tjij^  ,Jj5>i  ^j-c  '^^^  diacritic  points  over 


30 


TRAVELS  m  AFRICA. 


the  Ghemarmah,the  Temaghera*  (evidently  a  Berber  name),  the 
Debiri,  the  Kunkuna,  at  present  established  in  Karga,  and,  final- 
ly, the  Tebu  or  Tubu,  or  rather  Teda.  Of  all  these  the  last- 
named  constituted  by  far  the  most  important  and  most  numer- 
ous tribe.  To  them  belonged  the  mother  of  Dunama  ben  Hume, 
the  most  powerful  of  the  older  kings  of  Bornu,  who  appears  to 
have  thrice  performed  the  pilgrimage  to  Mekka.  Indeed,  it 
would  seem  that  the  real  talisman  which  Dibalami  Dunama  Sel- 
mami  spoiled  consisted  in  the  friendly  relation  between  the  Be- 
rauni  or  Kanuri  and  the  Tebu,  which  was  so  intimate  that  the 
name  of  Berauni,  which  originally  belonged  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Bornu,  is  still  at  present  the  common  name  given  by  the  Ta- 
warek  to  the  Tebu ;  or,  rather,  the  latter  are  a  race  intimately 
related  to  the  original  stock  of  the  Kanuri,  as  must  become  evi- 
dent to  every  unprejudiced  mind  that  investigates  their  lan- 
guage.t 

How  powerful  a  tribe  the  Teda  were  is  sufficiently  shown  by 
the  length  of  the  war  which  they  carried  on  with  that  very  king 

^  in  the  word  Jf^O  have  been  omitted  in  the  copy  of  the  chronicle  which  I 

forv\arded  to  Leipsic,  and  Mr.Blau  therefore  reads  "  Derw;"  but  where  the  name 
is  mentioned  by  Imam  Ahmed  the  points  are  never  omitted.  However,  where 
the  country  Derk  or  Derg  is  to  be  looked  for  I  can  not  say  with  any  degree  of 

certainty.    I  once  thought  that  ^^t>  might  be  the  "people  of  the  shields." 

or  "armicd  with  shields,"  like  the  Kanembu  at  present;  but  I  have  satisfied  my- 
self that  this  is  not  the  case.  The  Kiye  still  at  the  present  day  form  the  chief 
portion  of  the  Koyam. 

*  \^  ^Jji)\  ^Uo.    Kera,  not  Keraw,  is  the  name  of  the  place  which 

Mr.  Blau  (p.  332)  tries  to  identify  with  Kerawa,  the  old  capital  of  Mandara  ;  but 
this  is  evidently  wrong.  There  can  be  scarcely  any  doubt  that  the  Temaghera 
have  given  their  name  to  the  province  Demagherim  or  Damagherim.   The  letter 

beginning  the  name  was  a 

t  I  shall  say  more  on  this  subject  in  the  historical  introduction  to  my  vocab- 
ularies. At  present  I  can  only  refer  the  reader  to  a  few  remarks  which  I  have 
made  on  the  relation  between  the  modi  Teda  (the  Tebu  language)  and  the  Ka- 
nuri, in  a  letter  addressed  to  M.  Lepsius,  and  published  in  Gumprecht's  Monats-  \ 
berichte  (Journal  of  the  Geographical  Society  of  Berlin),  1854,  vol,  ii.,  p.  373. 
The  Teda,  together  with  the  Kanuri,  formed  the  stock  called  by  Makrizi  ^l^^ 

(Zaghai)  and      T"'  r-^^  by  Masudi.    (Meadows,  1.  xxxiii.,  p.  138). 


INDIGENOUS  TRIBES. 


31 


Dunama  Selmami,  and  which  is  said  to  have  lasted  more  than 
seven  years.  Indeed,  it  would  seem  as  if  it  had  been  only  by 
the  assistance  of  this  powerful  tribe  that  the  successors  of  Jil 
Shikomeni  were  able  to  found  the  powerful  dynasty  of  the  Bu- 
lala,  and  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the  great  empire  called  by  Leo 
Gaoga,  comprehending  all  the  eastern  and  northeastern  parts  of 
the  old  empire  of  Kanem,  and  extending  at  times  as  far  as  D6n- 
gola,  so  that  in  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century  it  was 
larger  than  Bornu.*  Even  in  the  latter  half  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury the  Teda  appear  to  have  constituted  a  large  proportion  of 
the  military  force  of  the  Bulala  in  Kanem  ;  and  great  numbers 
of  them  are  said,  by  the  historian  of  the  powerful  king  Edris 
Alawoma,  to  have  emigrated  from  Kanem  into  Bornu  in  conse- 
quence of  the  victories  obtained  by  that  prince  over  the  Bulala. 
At  that  time  they  seem  to  have  settled  principally  in  the  terri- 
tories of  the  Koyam,  a  tribe  very  often  mentioned  in  the  book 
of  Imam  Ahmed  as  forming  part  of  the  Bornu  army,  and  with 
whom  at  present  they  are  completely  intermixed. f  It  is  very 
remarkable  that  neither  by  the  chronicle  nor  by  the  historian 
of  Edris  Alawoma,  the  large  tribe  of  the  Manga,  which  evidently 
formed  a  very  considerable  element  in  the  formation  of  the  Bor- 
nu nation,  is  ever  once  mentioned. 

While  the  tribes  above  enumerated  were  more  or  less  ab- 
sorbed by  the  empire  of  Kanem,  and,  in  the  course  of  time, 

*  This,  I  think,  is  also  the  meaning  of  Leo  when  he  says  (1.  c.,  c.  7),  "  II  do- 
minio  del  re  di  Borno,  il  quale  ne  a  la  minore"  (parte).  But  Leo  wrote  just  at 
the  time  when  BcSrnu  was  about  again  to  rise  to  new  splendor. 

t  However,  even  in  the  time  of  Lucas  (Proceedings  of  the  Afric.  Assoc.,  vol.  i., 
p.  119),  great  part  at  least  of  the  Koyam  were  still  living  in  Kanem.    The  I'keli, 

or,  rather,  "people  of  I'keli,"  ^^^^i I  mentioned  by  Makn'zi,  seem  not  to 

have  constituted  a  separate  tribe,  although  they  had  a  chief  or  t^^L^  of  their 
own,  there  being  not  the  least  doubt  that  they  were  the  inhabitants  of  the  cele- 
brated place  I'keli,  (IL)l£=>\,  usually  called  Furtwa  by  the  Bornu  people,  about  which 
I  shall  speak  in  the  course  of  my  journey  to  Kanem.  A  peculiar  tribe  is  men- 
tioned frequently  by  the  Imam  Ahmed  as  El  Kaniym,  but  I  am  not  yet  able  to 
olfer  a  well-established  opinion  with  regard  to  them.  With  regard  to  the  Arabs 
who  are  mentioned  several  times  in  Imam  Ahmed's  history  as  a  powerful  ele- 
ment in  the  population  of  Kanem,  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  hereafter. 


32  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

adopted  the  Mohammedan  religion  professed  by  its  rulers,  there 
was,  on  the  other  hand,  a  very  numerous  indigenous  tribe  which 
did  not  become  amalgamated  with  the  conquering  element,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  continued  to  repel  it  in  a  hostile  manner,  and 
for  a  long  time  threatened  its  very  existence.  These  were  the 
"  Soy"  or  "  So,"  a  tribe  settled  originally  in  the  vast  territory 
inclosed  toward  the  north  and  northwest  by  the  komaduga 
Waube,  erroneously  called  the  Yeou,  and  toward  the  east  by 
the  Shari,  and  divided,  as  it  would  seem,  into  several  small 
kingdoms. 

This  powerful  tribe  was  not  completely  subjugated  before  the 
time  of  Edris  Alawoma,  or  the  latter  part  of  the  16th  century  ; 
and  it  might  be  matter  of  surprise  that  they  are  not  mentioned 
at  all  by  the  chronicle  before  the  middle  of  the  14th  century,  if 
it  were  not  that  even  circumstances  and  facts  of  the  very  great- 
est importance  are  passed  over  in  silence  by  this  arid  piece  of 
nomenclature.  It  would  therefore  be  very  inconsistent  to  con- 
clude from  this  silence  that  before  the  period  mentioned  the 
princes  of  Kanem  had  never  come  into  contact  with  the  tribe  of 
the  Soy  ;  the  reason  why  the  chronicle,  sparing  as  it  is  of  infor- 
mation, could  not  any  longer  pass  them  over  in  silence  was,  that 
in  the  space  of  three  years  they  had  vanquished  and  killed  four 
successive  kings.  The  places  mentioned  in  the  list,  where  the 
first  three  of  these  j)rinces  were  slain,  can  not  be  identified  with 
absolute  certainty ;  but  as  for  Nanigham,  where  Mohammed  ben 
'Abd  Allah  was  killed,  it  certainly  lay  close  to  and  probably  in 
the  territory  of  the  Soy.  After  this  period  we  learn  nothing 
with  regard  to  this  tribe  until  the  time  of  Edris  Alawoma,  al- 
though it  seems  probable  that  Edn's  Nikalemi,  the  successor  of 
Mohammed  ben  'Abd  Allah,  and  the  contemporary  of  E''bn  Ba- 
tiita,  had  first  to  gain  a  victory  over  the  Soy  before  he  was  able 
to  sit  down  quietly  upon  his  throne. 

Altogether,  in  the  history  of  Bornu  we  can  distinguish  the 
following  epochs.  First,  the  rise  of  power  in  Kanem,  Njimiye 
being  the  capital  of  the  empire,  silent  and  imperceptible  till  we 
see  on  a  sudden,  in  the  beginning  of  the  12th  century,  the  pow- 
erful prince  Dunama  ben  Hume  start  forth  under  the  impulse 


EPOCHS  IN  BO-ENU  HISTORY. 


33 


of  Islam,  wielding  the  strength  of  a  young  and  vigorous  empire, 
and  extending  his  influence  as  far  as  Egypt.  The  acme,  or 
highest  degree  of  prosperity  of  this  period  coincides  with  the 
reign  of  Dibalami  Dunama  Selmami,  in  the  middle  of  the  13th 
century,  during  the  prime  of  the  dynasty  of  the  Beni  Hafis  in 
Tunis.  But  this  reign  already  engendered  the  germs  of  decay  ; 
for  during  it  the  two  cognate  elements  of  which  the  empire  con- 
sisted, namely,  the  Teda  and  the  Kanuri,  were  disunited,  and  it 
yielded  too  much  influence  to  the  aristocratical  element,  which 
was  represented  by  the  twelve  great  offices,  an  institution  which 
seems  to  deserve  particular  attention.* 

The  consequence  was  that  a  series  of  civil  wars  and  regicides 
ensued,  interrupted  only  by  the  more  tranquil  reign  of  Ibrahim 
Nikalemi  in  the  first  half  of  the  14th  century,  which  was  fol- 
lowed, however,  by  the  most  unfortunate  period  of  the  empire, 
when  the  great  native  tribe  of  the  Soy  burst  forth  and  killed 
four  kings  in  succession.  Then  followed  another  respite  from 
turmoil,  just  at  the  time  when  E^bn  Batuta  visited  Negroland ; 
but  the  son  of  the  very  king  who  in  the  time  of  that  distin- 
guished traveler  ruled  over  Bornu,  fell  the  first  victim  in  the 
struggle  that  ensued  with  a  power  which  had  arisen  from  the 
same  root,  had  gained  strength  during  the  civil  wars  of  Bornu, 
and  which  now  threatened  to  swallow  it  up  altogether.  Tliis 
was  the  dynasty  of  the  Bulala,  which,  originating  with  the  fu- 
gitive Bornu  prince,  Jil  Shikomemi,  had  established  itself  in  the 
district  of  Fittri  over  the  tribe  of  the  Kuka,  and  from  thence 
spread  its  dominion  in  every  direction,  till,  after  a  sanguinary 
struggle,  it  conquered  Kanem,  and  forced  the  Kanuri  dynasty 
to  seek  refuge  in  the  western  provinces  of  its  empire  about  the 
year  1400  of  our  era. 

The  Bornu  empire  (if  we  may  give  the  name  of  empire  to  the 
shattered  host  of  a  belligerent  tribe  driven  from  their  home  and 
reduced  to  a  few  military  encampments)  for  the  next  seventy 
years  seemed  likely  to  go  to  pieces  altogether,  till  the  great 
king  'Ali  Dunamami  opened  another  glorious  period ;  for,  hav- 

*  I  shall  say  more  of  it  in  the  chronological  table,  under  the  reign  of  Moham- 
med. 

Vol.  II.— C 


34  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

ing  at  length  mastered  tlie  aristocratical  element,  which  had  al- 
most overwhelmed  the  monarchy,  he  founded  as  a  central  point 
of  government  a  new  capital  or  "  birni,"  Ghasreggomo,  the  em- 
pire liaving  been  without  a  fixed  centre  since  the  abandonment 
of  Njimiye.  It  was  in  his  time  that  Leo  Africanus  visited  Ne- 
groland,  where  he  found  the  Bulala  empire  (Gaoga)  still  in  the 
ascendant ;  but  this  was  changed  in  the  beginning  of  the  16th 
century,  even  before  the  publication  of  his  account ;  for  in  the 
one  Imndred  and  twenty-second  (lunar)  year  from  the  time  when 
'Omar  was  compelled. to  abandon  his  royal  seat  in  Njimiye,  ced- 
ing the  rich  country  of  Kanem,  the  very  nucleus  of  the  empire, 
to  his  rivals,  the  energetic  king  Edris  Katakarmabi  entered  that 
capital  again  with  his  victorious  army,  and  from  that  time  down 
to  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  Kanem  has  remained  a 
province  of  Bornu,  although  it  was  not  again  made  the  seat  of 
government. 

Altogether  the  16th  century  is  one  of  the  most  glorious  peri- 
ods of  the  Bornu  empire,  adorned  as  it  is  by  such  able  princes 
as  the  two  Edri's  and  ^lohammed,  wliile  in  Western  Negroland 
the  great  Songhay  empire  went  to  pieces,  and  was  finally  sub- 
jugated by  Mulay  Hamed  el  Mansur,  the  Emperor  of  Morocco. 
Then  followed  a  quieter  period,  and  old  age  seemed  gradually 
to  gain  on  the  kingdom,  while  pious  and  peaceful  kings  occu- 
pied the  throne,  till,  in  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  the  ener- 
getic and  enterprising  king  'Ali  'Omarmi  began  a  violent  strug- 
gle against  that  very  nation  from  which  the  Bornu  dynasty  had 
sprung,  but  which  had  now  become  its  most  fearful  enemy — 
the  Imoshagh  or  Tawarek.  He  made  great  exertions  in  every 
direction,  but  his  efforts  seem  to  have  resembled  the  convulsions 
of  death,  and,  being  succeeded  by  an  indolent  king,  for  such 
was  A^hmed,  the  fatal  hour  which  was  to  accomr)lish  the  extinc- 
tion  of  the  dynasty  of  tliQ  Sefuwa  rapidly  approached.  At  last, 
when  the  very  centre  of  the  empire  had  already  fallen  a  prey  to 
a  new  nation  which  had  started  forth  on  a  career  of  glory,  the 
Fulbe  or  Fellata,  there  arose  a  stranger,  a  nationalized  Arab, 
who,  in  saving  the  last  remains  of  the  kingdom,  founded  a  new 
-dynasty,  that  of  the  Kanemiyin,  which,  after  having  shone  forth 


wo  LEARNED  MOHAMMEDANS. 


35 


very  brightly  under  its  founder,  was  recently  reduced  by  civil 
discord,  and  seems  now  destined  to  a  premature  old  age. 

Having  here  offered  this  general  view  of  the  empire  of  Bornu, 
I  refer  for  particulars  to  the  appended  chronological  tables, 
which,  I  trust,  although  very  imperfect,  particularly  in  the  be- 
ginning, will  yet  form  a  sufficient  groundwork  wherewith  to  be- 
gin more  profitable  inquiries  into  the  history  of  those  regions 
than  have  been  hitherto  made. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  CAPITAL  OF  BOENU. 

Having  endeavored  to  impart  to  the  reader  a  greater  inter- 
est in  the  country  by  relating  its  former  history,  as  far  as  I  was 
able  to  make  it  out,  I  shall  now  give  an  account  of  my  stay  in 
Kukawa  before  setting  out  on  my  journey  to  Adamawa. 

Regarding  Kukawa  only  as  the  basis  of  my  further  proceed- 
ings, and  as  a  necessary  station  already  sufficiently  known  to 
the  European  public  by  the  long  stay  of  the  former  expedition, 
I  endeavored  to  collect  as  much  information  as  possible  with 
regard  to  the  surrounding  countries.  Two  of  my  friends  were 
distinguished  by  a  good  deal  of  ^Mohammedan  learning,  by  the 
precision  with  which  they  recollected  the  countries  they  had 
wandered  through,  and  by  dignified  manners  ;  but  they  differed 
much  in  character,  and  were  inclined  to  quarrel  with  each  other 
as  often  as  they  happened  to  meet  in  my  house. 

These  two  men,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  a  great  deal  of 
interesting  and  precise  information,  w^ere  the  Arab  Ahmed  bel 
Mejiib,  of  tliat  division  of  the  tribe  of  the  Welad  bu-vSeb'a  who 
generally  live  in  the  Wadi  Sakiyet  el  Hamra,  to  the  south  of 
Morocco,  and  the  PuUo  Ibrahim,  son  of  the  Sheikh  el  Mukhtar, 
in  Kahaide  on  the  Senegal,  and  cousin  of  the  late  Mohammed 
el  Amin,  the  energetic  prince  of  Euta-Toro.  x4.hmed  had  trav- 
eled over  almost  the  wliole  of  Western  Africa,  from  Arguin  on 
the  ocean  as  far  as  Bagirmi,  and  had  spent  several  years  in 


36 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Adamawa,  of  wliich  country  lie  first  gave  nie  an  exact  descrip- 
tion, especially  with  regard  to  the  direction  of  the  rivers.  He 
was  a  shrewd  and  very  intelligent  man,  yet  he  was  one  of  those 
Arabs  who  go  round  all  the  courts  of  the  princes  of  Negroland, 
to  whatever  creed  or  tribe  they  may  belong,  and  endeavor  to 
obtain  from  them  all  they  can  by  begging  and  by  the  parade  of 
learning.  I  esteemed  him  on  account  of  his  erudition,  but  not 
in  other  respects. 

Quite  a  different  person  was  the  Piillo  Ibrahim — a  very  proud 
young  man,  fully  aware  of  the  ascendency,  and  strongly  mark- 
ed with  the  distinguishing  character  of  the  nation  to  which  he 
belonged.  He  had  performed  the  pilgrimage  to  Mekka,  cross- 
ing the  whole  breadth  of  Africa  from  west  to  east,  from  warm 
religious  feeling  mixed  up  with  a  little  ambition,  as  he  knew 
that  such  an  exploit  would  raise  him  highly  in  the  esteem  of 
his  countrymen,  and  secure  to  him  a  high  position  in  life.  Ho 
had  been  two  years  a  hostage  in  Nder  (St.  Louis),  and  knew 
something  about  the  Europeans.  It  had  struck  him  that  the 
French  were  not  so  eager  in  distributing  Bibles  as  the  English, 
while  he  had  truly  remarked  that  the  former  were  very  sensible 
of  the  charms  of  the  softer  sex,  and  very  frequently  married  the 
pretty  daughters  of  the  Dembasega.  He  obtained  from  me, 
first  the  Zabiir,  or  the  Psalms  of  David,  which  even  the  Arabs 
esteem  very  highly,  and  would  esteem  much  more  if  they  were 
translated  into  a  better  sort  of  Arabic,  and  afterward  the  whole 
Bible,  which  he  wished  to  take  with  him  on  his  long  land- 
journey. 

The  Arabs  and  the  Fulbe,  as  is  well  known,  are  in  almost 
continual  w^arfare  all  along  the  line  from  the  Senegal  as  far  as 
Timbuktu ;  and  it  was  most  interesting  for  me  to  see  him  and 
Ahmed  in  violent  altercation  about  the  advantages  of  their  re- 
spective nations,  while  I  was  thereby  afforded  an  excellent 
means  of  appreciating  their  reports  with  regard  to  the  state  of 
the  tribes  and  countries  along  the  Senegal.  The  way  in  which 
they  began  to  communicate  to  me  their  information  was  in  it- 
self expressive  of  their  respective  characters,  Ahmed  protesting 
that,  before  he  dared  to  communicate  with  me,  he  was  compelled 


DANGEROUS  MEDICAL  PRACTICE. 


37 


to  ask  the  permission  of  the  vizier,  while  Ibrahim  laughed  at 
him,  declaring  that  he  felt  himself  fully  authorized  to  give  me 
any  information  about  Negroland.  Ibrahim  became  an  intimate 
friend  of  mine,  and  took  a  lively  interest  in  me,  particularly 
commiserating  my  lonely  situation  in  a  foreign  country,  far 
from  home,  without  the  consolations  of  female  companionship. 

As  an  example  of  the  risks  which  European  travelers  may 
incur  by  giving  medicines  to  natives  to  administer  to  themselves 
at  liom.e,  I  will  relate  the  following  incident.  Ibrahim  told  me 
one  day  that  he  wanted  some  cooling  medicine,  and  I  gave  him 
two  strong  doses  of  Epsom  salts,  to  use  occasionally.  He  then 
complained  the  following  day  that  he  was  suffering  from  worms ; 
and  wlien  I  told  him  that  the  Epsom  salts  would  not  have  the 
effect  of  curing  this  complaint,  but  that  worm-powder  would,  he 
begged  me  to  give  him  some  of  the  latter  ;  and  I  gave  him  three 
doses,  to  use  on  three  successive  days.  However,  my  poor 
friend,  though  an  intelligent  man,  thought  that  it  might  not  be 
amiss  to  take  all  this  medicine  at  once,  viz.,  four  ounces  of  Ep- 
som salts  and  six  drachms  of  worm-powder;  and  the  reader 
may  imagine  the  effect  which  this  dose  produced  upon  a  rather 
slender  man.  Unfortunately,  I  had  just  taken  a  ride  out  of  the 
town ;  and  he  remained  for  full  two  days  in  a  most  desperate 
state,  while  his  friends,  who  had  sent  in  vain  to  my  house  to 
obtain  my  assistance,  were  lamenting  to  all  the  people  that  the 
Christian  had  killed  their  companion,  the  pious  pilgrim. 

Besides  these  two  men,  there  were  many  interesting  strangers 
at  that  time  in  Kukawa,  from  whom  I  learned  more  or  less. 
Some  of  them  I  shall  here  mention,  as  their  character  and  story 
will  afford  the  reader  a  glance  at  one  side  of  life  in  Negroland. 
A  man  who  had  performed  travels  of  an  immense  extent,  from 
Kliorasan  in  the  east  as  far  as  Sansandi  in  the  west,  and  from 
Tripoli  and  Morocco  in  the  north  as  far  as  Asianti  and  Jena- 
khera  and  Fertit  toward  the  south,  would  have  been  of  great 
service  if  he  had  preserved  an  exact  i^ecollection  of  all  the  routes 
which  he  had  followed  in  his  devious  wanderings ;  but,  as  it 
was,  I  could  only  gather  from  him  some  general  information,  the 
most  interesting  part  of  which  had  reference  to  Mosi,  or  rather 


38 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


More,  a  large  and  populous  country,  known  by  name  already 
from  Sultan  Bello's  curious  communications  to  Captain  Clap- 
perton,  but  always  misplaced  in  the  maps,  and  its  capital  W6- 
ghodoglio. 

This  enterprising  man,  who  generally  traveled  as  a  dervish, 
had  gone  from  Sofara  on  the  Mayo  balleo  or  Niger,  between 
Hamdallalii  and  Sego,  across  a  most  unsettled  country,  to  W6- 
ghodogho ;  but  he  was  unable  to  give  me  any  precise  details 
with  regard  to  it,  and  I  never  met  another  person  who  had 
traveled  this  dangerous  route.  He  had  also  traveled  all  along 
the  pagan  states  to  the  south  of  Bagirmi  and  Waday,  and  ad- 
vised me  strongly,  if  it  were  my  plan  to  penetrate  to  the  upper 
Nile  (as,  indeed,  I  then  intended,  notwithstanding  my  total  want 
of  means),  to  adopt  the  character  of  a  dervish,  which  he  deem- 
ed essential  for  my  success.  But  while  such  a  character  might, 
indeed,  insure  general  success,  it  would  preclude  the  possibility 
of  making  any  accurate  observations,  and  would  render  neces- 
sary the  most  painful,  if  not  insupportable  privations.  And,  on 
the  whole,  this  poor  fellow  was  less  fortunate  than  I ;  for  in  the 
year  1854  he  was  slain  on  that  very  route  from  Yola  to  Kuka- 
wa  which  I  myself  had  twice  passed  successfully.  He  was  a 
native  of  Baghdad,  and  called  himself  Sherif  Ahmed  el  Bagh- 
dadi. 

There  was  another  singular  personage,  a  native  of  Sennar, 
who  had  been  a  clerk  in  the  Turkish  army,  but,  as  malicious 
tongues  gave  out,  had  been  too  fond  of  the  cash  intrusted  to  his 
care,  and  absconded.  He  afterward  resided  some  years  in  Wa- 
day, where  he  had  drilled  a  handful  of  the  sultan's  slaves,  had 
come  to  this  kingdom  to  try  his  fortune,  and  was  now  about  to 
be  sent  to  Waday  by  the  Sheikh  of  Bornu,  as  a  spy,  to  see  if 
the  prince  of  that  country  had  still  any  design  of  recommencing 
hostilities.  From  all  persons  of  this  description  a  traveler  may 
learn  a  great  deal ;  and,  intriguing  fellows  as  they  generally  are, 
and  going  from  court  to  court  spreading  reports  every  where, 
prudence  requires  that  he  should  keep  on  tolerably  good  terms 
with  them. 

Most  interesting  and  instructive  was  a  host  of  pilgrims  from 


MY  BO'RNU  FRIENDS. 


39 


different  parts  of  Masena  or  Melle,  partly  Fulbe,  partly  Son- 
ghay,  who,  having  heard  of  the  white  man,  and  of  his  anxiety  to 
collect  information  respecting  all  parts  of  the  continent,  came  re- 
peatedly to  me  to  contribute  each  his  share.  I  used  to  regale 
them  with  coffee,  while  they  gave  me  ample  opportunities  of 
comparing  and  testing  their  statements.  The  most  interesting 
and  best  informed  among  them  were  Bu-Bakr,  a  native  of  Ilam- 
dallahi,  the  capital  of  the  sheikh  (sekho)  Ahmedu  ben  Ahmedu, 
who,  having  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Mekka,  had  long  resided  in 
Yeman,  and  was  now  returning  homeward  with  a  good  deal  of 
knowledge ;  and  another  cheerful  and  simple-hearted  old  man 
from  Sa,  on  the  Isa  or  Niger,  between  Hamdallalii  and  Tim- 
buktu. Indeed,  as  the  report  of  Ahmed  bel  Mejub  about  Ada- 
ma  wa  had  confirmed  me  in  my  determination  to  sacrifice  every 
thing  in  order  to  visit  that  country  as  soon  as  possible,  so  the 
manifold  information  of  these  people  with  respect  to  the  coun- 
tries on  the  middle  course  of  the  so-called  Niger  excited  in  me 
a  most  ardent  desire  to  execute  the  design,  previously  but 
vaguely  entertained,  of  accomplishing  also  a  journey  westward 
to  Timbuktu. 

Among  my  Bornu  friends  at  this  time,  the  most  instructive 
were  Shitima  Makaremma  and  xVmsakay.  Tlie  former,  who 
had  been  a  courtier  under  the  old  dynasty,  and  who  had  saved 
his  life  by  his  intrigues,  was  a  very  intelligent  old  man,  but  an 
acknowledged  rascal,  to  whom  unnatural  vices,  which  seem  in 
general  entirely  unknown  in  these  regions,  were  imputed.  Nev- 
ertheless, he  was  the  only  man  who  was  master  of  all  the  his- 
tory of  the  old  dynasty ;  and  he  spoke  the  Kanuri  language 
with  such  exquisite  beauty  as  I  have  never  heard  from  any  body 
else.  He  had  two  very  handsome  daughters,  whom  he  suc- 
ceeded in  marrying,  one  to  the  vizier  and  one  to  his  adversary, 
'Abd  e'  Rahman ;  but  in  December,  1853,  he  was  executed,  to- 
gether with  the  vizier,  but  on  totally  different  grounds,  as  hav- 
ing long  forfeited  his  life.  Quite  a  different  sort  of  man  was 
A^msakay,  a  simple  Kanemma  chief,  who  has  been  represented 
in  one  of  my  sketches.  He  had  formerly  distinguished  himself 
by  his  expeditions  against  the  Budduma,  till  those  enterprising 


40 


TRAVELS  m  AFRICA. 


islanders  succeeded  in  conciliating  him  by  the  gift  of  one  of  their 
handsome  daughters  for  a  wife,  when  he  became  half  settled 
among  them. 

I  had  also  some  interesting  pagan  instructors,  among  whom 
I  will  only  mention  Agid  Burku,  a  very  handsome  youth,  but 
who  had  undergone  the  horrible  process  of  castration.  The 
abolition  of  this  practice  in  the  Mohammedan  world  ought  to  be 
the  first  object  of  Christian  governments  and  missionaries,  not 
merely  on  account  of  the  unnatural  and  desecrated  state  to  which 
it  reduces  a  human  being,  but  on  account  of  the  dreadful  char- 
acter of  the  operation  itself,  which,  in  these  countries  at  least,  is 
the  reason  why  scarcely  one  in  ten  survives  it.  With  extreme 
delight,  Agid  Burku  dwelt  upon  the  unconstrained  nudity  in 
which  his  countrymen  indulged,  and  with  great  naivete  described 
a  custom  of  the  pagans,  which  is  identical  with  a  custom  of  the 
civilized  Europeans,  but  is  an  abomination  in  the  eyes  of  every 
Mohammedan.  He  had  wandered  about  a  good  deal  in  the 
southern  provinces  of  Bagirmi  and  Waday,  and  gave  me  the 
first  information  about  the  interesting  mountain  group  near 
Kenga  Mataya. 

But  I  must  principally  dwell  upon  my  relations  to  the  vizier 
El  Haj  Beshir  ben  Ahmed  Tirab,  upon  whose  benevolent  dis- 
position the  whole  success  of  the  mission  depended,  as  he  ruled 
entirely  the  mind  of  the  sheikh,  who  was  more  sparing  of  words, 
and  less  intelligent. 

Mohammed  el  Beslnr,  being  the  son  of  the  most  influential 
man  in  Bornu  after  the  sheikh,  enjoyed  all  the  advantages  which 
such  a  position  could  offer  for  the  cultivation  of  his  mind,  which 
was  by  nature  of  a  superior  cast.  He  had  gone  on  a  pilgrim- 
age to  Mekka  in  the  year  1843,  by  ^yay  of  Ben-Ghazi,  when  he 
had  an  opportunity  both  of  showing  the  Arabs  near  the  coast 
that  the  inhabitants  of  the  interior  of  the  continent  are  supe- 
rior to  the  beasts,  and  of  getting  a  glimpse  of  a  higher  state 
of  civilization  ihan  he  had  been  able  to  observe  in  his  own 
country. 

Plaving  thus  learned  to  survey  the  world  collectively  from  a 
new  point  of  view,  and  with  an  increased  eagerness  after  every 


THE  VIZIER  HA'J  BESHI'R. 


41 


thing  foreign  and  marvelous,  he  returned  to  his  native  country, 
where  he  soon  had  an  opportunity  of  proving  his  talent,  his  fa- 
ther being  slain  in  the  unfortunate  battle  at  Kusuri,  and  Sheikh 
'Omar,  a  fugitive  in  his  native  country,  having  much  need  of  a 
faithful  counselor  in  his  embarrassed  situation.  The  sheikh 
was  beset  by  a  powerful  and  victorious  host,  encamping  in  the 
largest  of  the  towns  of  his  kingdom,  while  the  party  of  the  old 
dynasty  was  rising  again,  and  not  only  withdrawing  from  him 
the  best  forces  wherewith  to  face  the  enemy,  but  threatening  his 
very  existence,  at  the  same  time  that  a  brother  was  standing  in 
fierce  rivalry  to  him  at  the  head  of  a  numerous  army.  Sheikh 
'Omar  was  successful,  the  host  of  Waday  was  obliged  to  with- 
draw, and,  abandoning  the  purpose  for  w^hich  they  had  come, 
namely,  that  of  re-establishing  the  old  dynasty,  commenced  a 
difficult  retreat  of  many  hundred  miles  at  the  beginning  of  the 
rainy  season ;  the  partisans  of  the  old  dynasty  were  entirely 
crushed,  the  last  prince  of  that  family  slain,  the  residence  of  the 
sultans  leveled  to  the  ground,  and  even  the  remembrance  of  the 
old  times  was  almost  effaced.  There  remained  to  be  feared  only 
his  brother  'Abd  e'  Rahman.  'Abd  e'  Eahman  w^as  a  good  sol- 
dier, but  a  man  of  very  loose  and  violent  character.  When  a 
youth  he  had  committed  all  sorts  of  violence  and  injustice,  car- 
rying off  young  brides  by  force  to  indulge  his  passions  ;  he  was, 
besides,  a  man  of  little  intelligence.  Being  but  a  few  months 
younger  than  'Omar,  he  thought  himself  equally  entitled  to  the 
succession  ;  and  if  once  admitted  into  a  high  position  in  tlie  em- 
pire, he  might  be  expected  to  abuse  his  influence  on  the  very 
first  opportunity. 

Sheikh  'Omar,  therefore,  could  not  but  choose  to  confide  rath- 
er in  the  intelligent  son  of  his  old  minister,  the  faithful  compan- 
ion in  the  field  and  counselor  of  his  father,  than  in  his  own  fierce 
and  jealous  brother  ;  and  a!l  depended  upon  the  behavior  of  Haj 
Beshir,  and  upon  the  discretion  with  which  he  should  occupy 
and  maintain  his  place  as  first,  or  rather  only  minister  of  the 
kingdom.  Assuredly  his  policy  should  have  been  to  conciliate, 
as  much  as  possible,  all  the  greater  "  kokanawa"  or  courtiers, 
in  order  to  undermine  the  influence  of  'Abd  e'  Rahman,  whom 


• 


42 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


it  might  be  wise  to  keep  at  a  respectful  distance.  But  in  this 
respect  the  vizier  seems  to  have  made  great  mistakes,  his  cov- 
etousness  blinding  him  to  his  principal  advantages ;  for  covet- 
ous he  certainly  was — first,  from  the  love  of  possessing,  and 
also  in  order  to  indulge  his  luxurious  disposition,  for  he  was 
certainly  rather  "  kamuma,"  that  is  to  say,  extremely  fond  of 
the  fair  sex,  and  had  a  harim  of  from  three  to  four  hundred  fe- 
male slaves. 

In  assembling  this  immense  number  of  female  companions  for 
the  entertainment  of  his  leisure  hours,  he  adopted  a  scientific 
principle ;  in  fact,  a  credulous  person  might  suppose  that  he  re- 
garded his  harim  only  from  a  scientific  point  of  view,  as  a  sort 
of  ethnological  museum,  doubtless  of  a  peculiarly  interesting 
kind,  which  he  had  brought  together  in  order  to  impress  upon 
his  memory  the  distinguishing  features  of  each  tribe.  I  have 
often  observed  that,  in  speaking  with  him  of  the  different  tribes 
of  Negroland,  he  was  at  times  struck  with  the  novelty  of  a  name, 
lamenting  that  he  had  not  yet  had  a  specimen  of  that  tribe  in 
his  harim,  and  giving  orders  at  once  to  his  servants  to  endeavor 
to  procure  a  perfect  sample  of  the  missing  kind.  I  remember, 
also,  that  on  showing  to  him  one  day  an  illustrated  ethnological 
work  in  which  he  took  a  lively  interest,  and  coming  to  a  beau- 
tiful picture  of  a  Circassian  female,  he  told  me,  with  an  expres- 
sion of  undisguised  satisfaction,  that  he  had  a  living  specimen 
of  that  kind ;  and  when,  forgetting  the  laws  of  Mohammedan 
etiquette,  I  was  so  indiscreet  as  to  ask  him  whether  she  was  as 
handsome  as  the  picture,  he  answered  only  with  a  smile,  at  once 
punishing  and  pardoning  my  indiscreet  question.  I  must  also 
say  that,  notwithstanding  the  great  number  and  variety  of  the 
women  who  shared  his  attention,  he  seemed  to  take  a  hearty  in- 
terest in  each  of  them  ;  at  least  I  remember  that  he  grieved  most 
sincerely  for  the  loss  of  one  who  died  in  the  winter  of  1851. 
Poor  Haj  Beshir !  He  was  put  to  death  in  the  last  month  of 
1853,  leaving  seventy-three  sons  alive,  not  counting  the  daugh- 
ters, and  the  numbers  of  children  which  may  be  supposed  to  die 
in  such  an  establishment  without  reaching  maturity. 

But  to  return  to  his  political  character.    I  said  that  he  neg- 


HIS  LENIENCY. 


43 


lected  to  attach  to  himself  the  more  powerful  of  the  courtiers, 
with  whose  assistance  he  might  have  hoped  to  keep  the  rival 
brother  of  Sheikh  'Omar  at  some  distance;  indeed,  he  even  alien- 
ated them  by  occasional,  and  sometimes  injudicious  use  of  his 
almost  unlimited  power,  obliging  them,  for  instance,  to  resign  to 
him  a  handsome  female  slave  or  a  fine  horse.  If  he  had  pos- 
sessed great  personal  courage  and  active  powers,  he  might  have 
mastered  circumstances  and  kept  his  post,  notwithstanding  the 
ill  will  of  all  around  him  ;  but  he  wanted  those  qualities,  as  the 
result  shows ;  and  yet,  well  aware  of  the  danger  which  threat- 
ened him,  he  was  always  on  his  guard,  having  sundry  loaded 
pistols  and  carbines  always  around  him,  upon  and  under  his 
carpet.  Shortly  before  I  arrived,  an  arrow  had  been  shot  at 
him  in  the  evening  while  he  was  sitting  in  his  court-yard. 

I  have  peculiar  reason  to  thank  Providence  for  having  avert- 
ed the  storm  which  was  gathering  over  his  head  during  my  stay 
in  Bornu,  for  my  intimacy  with  him  might  very  easily  have  in- 
volved me  also  in  the  calamities  which  befell  him.  However, 
I  repeat  that,  altogether,  he  was  a  most  excellent,  kind,  liberal, 
and  just  man,  and  might  have  done  much  good  to  the  country 
if  he  had  been  less  selfish  and  more  active.  He  was  incapable, 
indeed,  of  executing  by  himself  any  act  of  severity,  such  as  in 
the  unsettled  state  of  a  semi-barbarous  kingdom  may  at  times 
be  necessary ;  and,  being  conscious  of  his  own  mildness,  he  left 
all  those  matters  to  a  man  named  Lamino,  to  whom  I  gave  the 
title  of  "  the  shameless  left  hand  of  the  vizier,"  and  whom  I 
shall  have  frequent  occasion  to  mention. 

I  pressed  upon  the  vizier  the  necessity  of  defending  the  north- 
ern frontier  of  Bornu  against  the  Tawarek  by  more  effectual 
measures  than  had  been  then  adopted,  and  thus  retrieving,  for 
cultivation  and  the  peaceable  abode  of  his  fellow-subjects,  the  fine 
borders  of  the  komadugu,  and  restoring  security  to  the  road  to 
Fezzan.  Just  about  this  time  the  Tawarek  had  made  another 
expedition  into  the  border  districts  on  a  large  scale,  so  that  Ka- 
shella  Belal,  the  first  of  the  war-chiefs,  was  obliged  to  march 
against  them ;  and  the  road  to  Kano,  which  I,  with  my  usual 
good  luck,  had  passed  unmolested,  had  become  so  unsafe  that  a 


44 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


numerous  caravan  was  plundered,  and  a  well-known  Arab  mer- 
chant, the  Slierif  El  Ghali,  killed. 

I  remonstrated  with  him  on  the  shamefully-neglected  state  of 
the  shores  of  the  lake,  which  contained  the  finest  pasture-grounds, 
and  might  yield  an  immense  quantity  of  rice  and  cotton.  He 
entered  with  spirit  into  all  my  proposals,  but  in  a  short  time  all 
was  forgotten.  He  listened  with,  delight  to  what  little  historic- 
al knowledge  I  had  of  these  countries,  and  inquired  particularly 
whether  Kanem  had  really  been  in  former  times  a  mighty  king- 
dom, or  whether  it  would  be  worth  retaking.  It  was  in  conse- 
quence of  these  conversations  that  he  began  to  take  an  interest 
in  the  former  history  of  the  country,  and  that  the  historical  rec- 
ords of  Edris  Alawoma  came  to  light ;  but  he  would  not  allow 
me  to  take  them  into  my  hands,  and  I  could  only  read  over  his 
shoulders.  He  was  a  very  religious  man ;  and  though  he  ad- 
mired Europeans  very  much  on  account  of  their  greater  accom- 
plishments, he  was  shocked  to  think  that  they  drank  intoxicat- 
ing liquors.  However,  I  tried  to  console  him  by  telling  him 
that,  although  the  Europeans  were  also  very  partial  to  the  fair 
sex,  yet  they  did  not  indulge  in  this  luxury  on  so  large  a  scale 
as  he  did,  and  that  therefore  he  ought  to  allow  them  some  oth-' 
er  little  pleasure. 

He  was  very  well  aware  of  the  misery  connected  with  the 
slave-trade ;  for,  on  his  pilgrimage  to  Mekka,  in  the  mountain- 
ous region  between  Fezzan  and  Ben-Ghazi,  he  had  lost,  in  one 
night,  forty  of  his  slaves  by  the  extreme  cold,  and  he  swore 
that  he  would  never  take  slaves  for  sale  if  he  were  to  travel 
again.  But  it  w^as  more  difficult  to  make  him  sensible  of  the 
horrors  of  slave-hunting,  although,  when  accompanying  him  on 
the  expedition  to  Musgu,  I  and  Mr.  Overweg  urged  this  subject 
with  more  success,  as  the  further  progress  of  my  narrative  will 
show.  He  was  very  desirous  to  open  a  commerce  with  the  En- 
glish, although  he  looked  with  extreme  suspicion  upon  the  form 
of  articles  in  which  the  treaty  was  proposed  to  be  drawn  up ; 
but  he  wished  to  forbid  to  Christians  the  sale  of  two  things, 
viz.,  spirituous  liquors  and  Bibles.  He  did  not  object  to  Bibles 
being  brought  into  the  country,  and  even  given  as  presents,  but 


DEBTS  OF  THE  MISSION  PAID. 


45 


he  would  not  allow  of  their  being  sold.  But  the  difficulties 
which  I  had  to  contend  with  in  getting  the  treaty  signed  will 
be  made  more  conspicuous  as  my  narrative  proceeds. 

The  most  pressing  matter  which  I  had  with  the  vizier  in  the 
first  instance,  after  my  arrival,  was  to  obtain  some  money,  in 
order  to  settle,  at  least  partly,  the  just  claims  of  the  late  Mr. 
Richardson's  servants,  and  to  clear  off  debts  which  reflected  lit- 
tle credit  on  the  government  which  had  sent  us.  I  could  scarce- 
ly expect  that  he  would  lend  me  the  money  without  any  profit, 
and  was  therefore  glad  to  obtain  it  at  the  rate  of  1000  cowries, 
or  kungona  as  they  are  called  in  Bornu,  for  a  dollar,  to  be  paid 
in  Fezzan  ;  and  I  lost  very  little  by  the  bargain,  as  the  credit- 
ors, well  aware  of  the  great  difiiculty  I  was  in,  and  acknowledg- 
ing my  desire  to  pay  them  off,  agreed  to  receive  for  every  dollar 
of  the  sum  which  they  claimed  only  1280  cowries,  while  in  the 
market  tlie  dollar  fetched  a  much  higher  price.  Indeed,  it  was 
most  grateful  to  my  feelings  to  be  enabled,  on  the  13th  of  April, 
to  distribute  among  the  eight  creditors  70,000  shells;  and  it  was 
the  more  agreeable,  as  the  more  arrogant  among  them,  seeing 
my  extreme  poverty,  had  assumed  a  tone  of  great  insolence  to- 
ward me,  which  I  found  it  difficult  to  support  in  silence.  Being 
now  relieved  a  little  in  circumstances,  I  immediately  rid  myself 
of  the  carpenter,  the  grandiloquent  Son  of  Jerusalem,  and  sent 
him  away.  He  died  on  the  road  before  reaching  Murzuk  —  a 
fact  which  the  natives  attributed  to  the  curse  which  I  had  given 
him  for  having  stolen  something  from  my  house. 

My  household  now  became  more  comfortable.  Already,  on 
the  10th  of  April,  late  in  the  evening,  I  had  removed  my  quar- 
ters from  the  large  empty  court-yard  in  the  eastern  town,  or  bil- 
la  gcdibe,  to  a  small  clay  house  in  the  western,  or  billa  futebe. 

This  dwelling  consisted  of  several  small  but  neatly-made 
rooms,  and  a  yard.  Afterward  we  succeeded  in  obtaining  in 
addition  an  adjoining  yard,  which  was  very  spacious,  and  in- 
cluded several  thatched  huts;  and  all  this  together  formed  "the 
English  house,"  which  the  sheikh  was  kind  enough  to  concede 
to  the  English  mission  as  long  as  any  body  should  be  left  there 
to  take  care  of  it. 


4G 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Its  situation  was  very  favorable,  as  -svill  be  seen  from  the  plan 
a  few  pages  further  on,  being  situated  almost  in  the  middle  of 
the  town,  and  nevertheless  out  of  the  way  of  the  great  thorough- 
fares :  the  internal  arrangement  is  shown  in  the  annexed  wood- 
cut. 


1.  Segifa,  or  "  soro  chmnabe,"  into  which  a  person  coming  from  the  small  yard 

before  the  house  first  enters  through  the  principal  gate.  In  the  comer 
there  is  a  spacious  clay  bench,  "  dagali,"  raised  three  feet  from  the  ground. 

2.  Small  open  court-yard,  with  a  very  fine  chedia  or  caoutchouc- tree  (3),  in 

which  we  had  generally  a  troop  of  monkeys,  while  at  the  bottom  a  couple 
of  squirrels  (Sciurus)  were  living  in  a  hole. 
4.  A  second  court-yard  with  a  hen-house.  (5.) 

6.  Inner  segifa,  where,  in  the  beginning,  the  sen'ants  loitered,  and  which  was 

aftenvard  changed  into  a  simple  dining-room.  Here  generally  the  water- 
jars  were  kept. 

7.  Small  court-yard,  with  water-jar. 

8.  Inner  room,  where  I  used  to  live,  and  aftenvard  Mr.  Vogel. 

9.  Inner  large  court-yard,  where,  in  the  comer,  the  kitchen  was  established. 


"THE  ENGLISH  HOUSE.' 


47 


10.  Room  with  a  large  clay-bank,  where  Mr.  Overweg  used  to  recline  in  the  day- 

time. 

11.  Bed-room  of  Mr.  Overweg,  and  afterward  of  the  Sappers,  Corporal  Church 

and  Macguire. 

12.  Small  back  court-yard. 

13.  Store-room. 

14.  Outer  inclosure  of  great  court-yard  in  the  beginning  of  our  residence  in  Kii- 

kawa.  This  wall  we  afterward  pulled  down,  when  we  obtained  a  very  large 
yard  for  our  horses  and  cattle.  We,  at  times,  had  six  horses  and  five  or 
six  cows. 

15.  Very  large,  well-built  conical  hut,  with  clay  wall  and  thatched  roof.    In  the 

interior  there  were  two  spacious  raised  clay-banks  of  the  kind  called  "  da- 
gali"  and  "zinzin,"  and  in  the  background  a  raised  recess,  separated  by  a 
wall  two  feet  high,  for  luggage  or  com.  This  hut  I  occupied  during  my 
last  stay  in  Kiikawa  after  my  return  from  Timbuktu,  when  I  built  in  front 
of  it  a  large  shed  with  that  sort  of  coarse  mats  called  siggedi. 

16.  Hut  occupied  by  Ma'adi,  a  liberated  slave,  first  in  the  service  of  Mr.  Richard- 

son, afterward  in  that  of  Mr.  Overweg,  and  lastly  Mr,  Vogel's  head  servant. 
Having  been  wounded  in  the  service  of  the  expedition,  a  small  pension  has 
been  granted  to  him. 

17.  Hut  occupied  by  another  servant. 

18.  Place  for  our  cattle. 

19.  A  well.    The  sandy  soil,  as  I  have  said,  obliged  us  to  change  the  place  of 

our  well  very  often,  and  we  had  great  trouble  in  this  respect. 

20.  A  clay  house,  which,  during  the  latter  part  of  our  stay,  fell  to  ruins. 

I  immediately  took  possession  of  the  room  No.  8,  which,  al- 
though very  small,  was  altogether  the  best,  and  was  very  cool 
during  the  hot  hours  of  the  day.  Mr.  Vogel,  too,  when  he  aft- 
erward arrived,  immediately  fixed  upon  this  room.  There  was 
a  most  splendid  korna-tree  in  the  neighboring  court-yard,  which 
spread  its  shade  over  the  terrace  of  this  room,  and  over  part  of 
the  small  court-yard  in  front  of  it.  In  our  own  yard  we  had 
only  a  very  fine  specimen  of  a  chedia  or  caoutchouc-tree  (in  the 
first  yard,  No.  3),  which  was  afterward  a  little  damaged  by  Mr. 
Overvveg's  monkeys,  besides  two  very  small  korna-trees  in  the 
great  yard  around  the  huts  Nos.  16  and  17.  Having  thus  made 
myself  as  comfortable  as  possible,  I  began  without  delay  to  dig 
a  well  in  the  small  court  before  the  house,  as  we  had  to  fetch  the 
water  from  another  well  at  some  distance,  which  was  much  used 
by  the  people.  My  attempt  caused  some  amusement  to  the 
vizier,  who  soon  heard  of  it,  and  recognized  in  it  a  feature  of  the 
European  character ;  for  digging  a  well  is  no  small  undertaking 


48 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


in  Kukawa,  altliougli  water  is  to  be  found  at  only  nine  fathoms 
depth  ;  for  the  ground,  consisting  of  loose  sand  under  an  upper 
thin  layer  of  clay,  is  very  apt  to  fall  in,  while  the  slender  boughs 
with  which  the  shaft  is  upheld  offer  but  little  resistance.  We 
had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  with  our  well,  not  only  in  constantly 
repairing  it,  but  in  the  course  of  our  stay  we  were  thrice  obliged 
to  change  the  spot  and  dig  a  new  well  altogetlier.  We  should 
have  been  glad  to  set  an  example  to  the  natives  by  building  up 
our  shaft  with  bricks ;  but,  with  our  scanty  means,  or  rather  our 
entire  want  of  means,  we  could  scarcely  think  of  undertaking 
such  a  costly  work.  At  a  later  period  Mr.  Overweg  found  a 
layer  of  shell  lime  in  a  spot  of  our  court-yard,  and  got  our  house 
neatly  whitewashed.  The  great  point  in  this  place  is  to  protect 
one's  self  against  the  countless  swarms  of  fleas  which  cover  the 
ground,  the  best  preservative  being  considered  a  frequent  be- 
smearing of  the  walls  and  the  floor  with  cow-dung.  The  large 
white  ant,  too,  is  most  troublesome,  and  sugar  particularly  is 
kept  with  difficulty  from  its  voracious  attacks.  Our  rooms 
swarmed  also  with  bugs,  ''bermade,"  but  I  am  almost  afraid 
that  we  ourselves  imported  them  with  our  books.  The  bug, 
however,  in  Bornu  is  not  regarded  as  that  nasty  insect  which 
creates  so  much  loathing  in  civilized  countries ;  on  the  contra- 
ry, the  native  thinks  its  smell  aromatic. 

My  poor  Katsena  nag,  the  present  of  the  extraordinary  gov- 
ernor of  that  place,  almost  against  my  expectation,  had  success- 
fully carried  me  as  far  as  Kukawa ;  but  at  that  point  it  was  quite 
exhausted,  wanting  at  least  some  months'  repose.  I  was  there- 
fore without  a  horse,  and  was  obliged  at  first  to  walk  on  foot, 
which  was  very  trying  in  the  deep  sand  and  hot  weather.  I  had 
once  entreated  the  vizier  to  lend  me  a  horse,  but  Lamino  had,  in 
consequence,  sent  me  such  a  miserable  animal  that  I  declined 
mounting  it.  The  sheikh,  being  informed  afterward  that  I  was 
bargaining  for  a  horse,  sent  me  one  as  a  present ;  it  was  tall  and 
well-formed,  but  of  a  color  which  I  did  not  like,  and  very  lean, 
having  just  come  from  the  country,  where  it  had  got  no  corn,  so 
that  it  was  unfit  for  me,  as  I  wanted  a  strong  animal,  ready  to 
undergo  a  great  deal  of  fatigue.    I  was  already  preparing  for  my 


KU'KAWA. 


49 


journey  to  Adamawa,  and,  having  made  the  acquaintance  of 
M'allem  Katuri,  a  native  of  Yakoba,  or,  rather,  as  the  town  is 
generally  called,  Garun  Bauchi,  and  an  excellent  man,  who  had 
accompanied  several  great  ghazzias  in  that  country,  and  partic- 
ularly that  most  remarkable  one  of  Amba-Sambo,  the  governor 
of  Chamba,  as  far  as  the  I^gbo  country,  at  the  Delta  of  the  Ni- 
ger, I  hired  him,  and  bought  for  his  use  a  good  traveling  horse. 
I  bought,  also,  a  tolerable  pony  for  my  servant  Mohammed  ben 
S'ad,  so  that,  having  now  three  horses  at  my  command,  I  en- 
tered with  spirit  upon  my  new  career  as  an  explorer  of  Negro- 
land.  All  this,  of  course,  was  done  by  contracting  a  few  little 
debts. 

The  vizier,  who  was  well  aware  of  the  difficulties  and  dangers 
attending;  my  proposed  excursion  to  Adamawa,  was  rather  in- 
clined to  send  me  to  the  ]\Iusgu  country,  whither  it  was  intended 
to  dispatch  an  expedition  under  the  command  of  Kashella  Belal ; 
but,  fortunately  for  me,  and  perhaps,  also,  for  our  knowledge  of 
this  part  of  the  continent,  the  design  was  frustrated  by  an  in- 
road of  Tawarek,  which  demanded  the  presence  of  this  officer, 
the  most  warlike  of  the  empire.  This  incursion  of  the  plunder- 
ing Kindin  was  made  by  a  considerable  body  of  men,  who,  hav- 
ing in  vain  tried  to  surprise  some  town  on  the  frontier  of  Bornu, 
turned  their  march  toward  Kanem,  and  went  as  far  as  Bateli, 
where,  however,  they  met  with  but  little  success. 

Having  now  a  horse  whereon  to  mount,  I  rode  every  day,  ei- 
ther into  the  eastern  town  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  sheikh  or  to  the 
vizier,  or  roving  around  the  whole  circuit  of  the  capital,  and 
peeping  into  the  varied  scenes  which  the  life  of  the  people  ex- 
hibited. The  precincts  of  the  town,  with  its  suburbs,  are  just  as 
interesting,  as  its  neighborhood  (especially  during  the  months 
that  precede  the  rainy  season)  is  monotonous  and  tiresome  in  the 
extreme.  Certainly  the  arrangement  of  the  capital  contributes 
a  great  deal  to  the  variety  of  the  picture  which  it  forms,  laid  out, 
as  it  is,  in  two  distinct  towns,  each  surrounded  with  its  wall, 
the  one  occupied  chiefly  by  the  rich  and  wealthy,  containing 
very  large  establishments,  while  the  other,  yvith  the  exception 
of  the  principal  thoroughfare,  which  traverses  the  town  from 

Vol.  II.— D 


THE  TWO  TOA^'XS. 


51 


west  to  east,  consists  of  rather  crowded  dwellings,  with  narrow, 
winding  lanes.  These  two  distinct  towns  are  separated  by  a 
space  about  half  a  mile  broad,  itself  tliicklj  inhabited  on  both 
sides  of  a  wide,  open  road,  which  forms  the  connection  between 
them,  but  laid  out  less  regularly,  and  presenting  to'the  eye  a 
most  interesting  medley  of  large  clay  buildings  and  small  thatch- 
ed huts,  of  massive  clay  walls  surrounding  immense  yards,  and 
light  fences  of  reeds  in  a  more  or  less  advanced  state  of  decay, 
and  with  a  variety  of  color,  according  to  their  age,  from  the 
brightest  yellow  down  to  the  deepest  black.  All  around  these 
two  towns  there  are  small  villages  or  clusters  of  huts,  and  large 
detached  farms  suiTOunded  with  clay  walls,  low  enough  to  allow 
a  glimpse  from  horseback  over  the  thatched  huts  which  they  in- 
close. 

In  this  labyrinth  of  dwellings  a  man,  interested  in  the  many 
forms  which  human  life  presents,  may  rove  about  at  any  time 
of  the  day  with  the  certainty  of  never-failing  amusement,  al- 
though the  life  of  the  Kanuri  people  passes  rather  monotonous- 

Exphnation  of  References  in  the  Engraving  on  the  preceding  Page. 

1.  English  house,  of  which  a  special  plan  is  given  on  page  4G. 

2.  Palace,  "fato  maibe,"  of  the  sheikh,  in  the  western  town  or  billa  futebe, 

with  the  mosque,  "mashidi,"  at  the  corner. 

3.  Minaret  of  mosque. 

4.  Square  at  the  back  of  the  palace,  with  a  most  beautiful  caoutchouc-tree,  the 

finest  in  Kiikawa. 

5.  Dendal,  or  principal  street. 

6.  Area  before  the  southern  gate,  where  all  the  offal  and  dead  bodies  of  camels 

and  cattle,  and  sometimes  even  of  slaves,  are  thrown,  and  Avhich,  during  the 
rainy  season,  is  changed  into  a  large  and  deep  pond. 

7.  Palace  of  the  sheikh  in  the  eastern  town,  or  billa  gedi'be. 

8.  Palace  of  the  Vizier  El  Haj  Beshii-. 

9.  House  where  I  was  first  lodged  on  my  arrival,  afterward  occupied  by  Lammo, 

the  vizier's  head  man. 

10.  (The  house  west  from  this)  Palace  belonging  to  Abu-Bakr,  the  sheikh's  eld- 

est and  favorite  son,  with  a  very  large  caoutchouc-tree  in  front. 

11.  House  belonging  to  Abba  Yusuf,  second  brother  of  the  sheikli. 

12.  House  occujjied  during  my  later  stay  by  Lami'no. 

13.  Hollows  from  whence  the  clay  has  been  taken  for  building  material,  and 

which,  during  the  rainy  season,  are  changed  into  deep  pools  of  stagnant 
water. 

14.  Cemetery. 


52 


TRAVELS  IN  ^VFRICA. 


ly  along,  with  the  exception  of  some  occasional  feasting.  Dur- 
ing the  hot  hours,  indeed,  the  town  and  its  precincts  become  tor- 
pid, except  on  market-days,  when  the  market-place  itself,  at 
least,  and  the  road  leading  to  it  from  the  western  gate,  are  most 
animated  just  at  that  time.  For,  singular  as  it  is,  in  Kukawa, 
as  well  as  almost  all  over  this  part  of  Negroland,  the  great  mar- 
kets do  not  begin  to  be  well  attended  till  the  heat  of  the  day 
grows  intense ;  and  it  is  curious  to  observe  what  a  difference 
prevails  in  this,  as  well  as  in  other  respects,  between  these  coun- 
tries and  Yoruba,  where  almost  all  the  markets  are  held  in  the 
cool  of  the  evening. 

The  daily  little  markets,  or  durn'ya,  even  in  Kukawa,  are 
held  in  the  afternoon,  and  are  most  frequented  between  the  'aser 
(lasari)  and  the  mughreb  (almagribu)  or  sunset.  The  most  im- 
portant of  these  durriyas  is  that  held  inside  the  west  gate  of  the 
billa  futebe,  and  here  even  camels,  horses,  and  oxen  are  sold 
in  considerable  numbers ;  but  they  are  much  inferior  to  the 
large  fair,  or  great  market,  which  is  held  every  Monday  on  the 
open  ground  beyond  the  two  villages  which  lie  at  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  western  gate.  Formerly  it  was  held  on  the  road 
to  JSTgoru,  before  the  southern  gate,  but  it  has  been  removed  from 
thence  on  account  of  the  large  pond  of  water  formed  during  the 
rainy  season  in  the  hollow  close  to  this  gate. 

I  visited  the  great  fair,  kasuku  letenmbe,"  every  Monday 
immediately  after  my  arrival,  and  found  it  very  interesting,  as 
it  calls  together  the  inhabitants  of  all  the  eastern  parts  of  Bor- 
nu,  the  Slmwa  and  the  Koyam,  with  their  corn  and  butter,  the 
former,  though  of  Arab  origin,  and  still  preserving  in  purity  his 
ancient  character,  always  carrying  his  merchandise  on  the  back 
of  oxen,  the  women  mounted  upon  the  top  of  it,  while  the  Af- 
rican Koyam  employs  the  camel,  if  not  exclusively,  at  least 
with  a  decided  preference  ;*  the  Kanembu  with  their  butter  and 
dried  fish,  the  inhabitants  of  ]\Iakari  with  their  tobes  (the  kore 
berne) :  even  Budduma,  or  rather  Yedina,  are  very  often  seen 
in  the  market,  selling  whips  made  from  the  skin  of  the  hippo- 

*  This  custom,  I  think,  confirms  the  opinion  that  the  Koyam  migrated  from 
Kanem  into  Bornu.    They  are  expressly  called  "ahel  el  bil." 


BUSINESS  AND  CONCOURSE. 


53 


potamus,  or  sometimes  even  hippopotamus  meat,  or  dried  fish, 
and  attract  the  attention  of  the  spectator  by  their  slender  fig- 
ures, their  small,  handsome  features,  unimpaired  by  any  incis- 
ions, the  men  generally  wearing  a  short  black  shirt  and  a  small 
straw  hat,  "suni  ngawa,"  their  neck  adorned  with  several  strings 
of  kungona  or  shells,  while  the  women  are  profusely  ornament- 
ed with  strings  of  glass  beads,  and  wear  their  hair  in  a  very  re- 
markable way,  though  not  in  so  awkward  a  fashion  as  Mr. 
Overweg  afterward  observed  in  the  island  Belarigo. 

On  reaching  the  market-place  from  the  town,  the  visitor  first 
comes  to  that  part  where  the  various  materials  for  constructing 
the  light  dwellings  of  the  country  are  sold,  such  as  mats,  of 
three  different  kinds,  the  thickest,  which  I  have  mentioned  above 
as  lagara,  then  sfggedi,  or  the  common  coarse  mat  made  of  the 
reed  called  kalkalti,  and  the  bushi,  made  of  dum-leaves,  or 
"ngille,"  for  lying  upon;  poles  and  stakes;  the  framework, 
"leggera,"  for  the  thatched  roofs  of  huts,  and  the  ridge-beam, 
or  "keskan  sumo;"  then  oxen  for  slaughter,  "fe  debateram," 
or  for  carrying  burdens,  "knemu  laptcram ;"  farther  on,  long 
rows  of  leathern  bags  filled  with  corn,  ranging  far  along  on  the 
south  side  of  the  market-place,  with  either  "kewa,"  the  large 
bags  for  the  camel,  a  pair  of  which  form  a  regular  camel's  load, 
or  the  large  "  jerabu,"  which  is  thrown  across  the  back  of  the 
pack-oxen,  or  the  smaller  "  fallim,"  a  pair  of  which  constitutes 
an  ox-load,  "  katkun  knemube."  These  long  rows  are  animated 
not  only  by  the  groups  of  the  sellers  and  buyers,  with  their 
weatherworn  figures  and  torn  dresses,  but  also  by  the  beasts  of 
burden,  mostly  oxen,  which  have  brought  the  loads,  and  which 
are  to  carry  back  their  masters  to  their  distant  dwelling-places  ; 
then  follow  the  camels  for  sale,  often  as  many  as  a  hundred  or 
more,  and  numbers  of  horses,  but  generally  not  first-rate  ones, 
which  are  mostly  sold  in  private.  All  this  sale  of  horses,  cam- 
els, &c.,  with  the  exception  of  the  oxen,  passes  through  the 
hands  of  the  dilelma  or  broker,  who,  according  to  the  mode  of 
announcement,  takes  his  percentage  from  the  buyer  or  the 
seller. 

The  middle  of  the  market  is  occupied  by  the  dealers  in  other 


54 


TRAVELS  IN  AFKICA. 


merchandise  of  native  and  of  foreign  manufacture,  the  amagdi" 
or  toL  from  Uje,  and  the  kore  or  rebshi,  the  farash  or  "  fetkema," 
and  the  "sellama,"  the  people  dealing  in  cloths,  shirts,  turke- 
dis,  beads  of  all  sizes  and  colors,  leather-work,  colored  boxes  of 
very  different  shape  and  size,  very  neatly  and  elegantly  made 
of  ox-hide.  There  are  also  very  neat  little  boxes  made  of  the 
kernel  or  "nage"  of  the  fruit  of  the  dum-tree.  Then  comes 
the  place  where  the  kombuli  disposes  of  his  slaves. 

There  are  only  a  few  very  light  sheds  or  stalls  ("kaudi") 
erected  here  and  there.  In  general,  besides  a  few  of  the  retail 
dealers,  only  the  dilelma  or  broker  has  a  stall,  which,  on  this  ac- 
count, is  called  dilellam  ;  and,  no  shady  trees  being  found,  both 
buyers  and  sellers  are  exposed  to  the  whole  force  of  the  sun 
during  the  very  hottest  hours  of  the  day,  between  eleven  and 
three  o'clock,  when  the  market  is  most  full  and  busy,  and  the 
crowd  is  often  so  dense  that  it  is  difficult  to  make  one's  way 
through  it ;  for  the  place  not  being  regularly  laid  out,  nor  the 
thoroughfares  limited  by  rows  of  stalls,  each  dealer  squats  down 
with  his  merchandise  where  he  likes.  There  are  often  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  thousand  people  crowded  together  in  the  mar- 
ket ;  but  the  noise  is  not  great,  the  Kanuri  people  being  more 
sedate  and  less  vivacious  than  the  Hausawa,  and  not  vending 
their  wares  with  loud  cries.  However,  the  wanzam  or  barber, 
going  about,  affords  amusement  by  his  constant  whistling, 
"kangadi."  In  general,  even  amusements  have  rather  a  sullen 
character  in  Bornu ;  and  of  course,  in  a  place  of  business  like 
the  market,  very  little  is  done  for  amusement,  although  some- 
times a  serpent-tamer  ("  kadima")  or  a  story-teller  (''kosgoli- 
ma'*)  is  met  with.  Also  the  luxuries  offered  to  the  people  are 
very  few  in  comparison  with  the  varieties  of  cakes  and  sweet- 
meats in  the  market-places  of  Hausa,  and  "kolche"  (the  com- 
mon sweet  ground-nut),  "gangala"  (the  bitter  ground-nut), 
boiled  beans  or  "ngalo,"  and  a  few  dry  dates  from  the  Tebu 
country,  are  almost  the^only  things,  besides  water  and  a  little 
nasty  sour  milk,  offered  as  refreshment  to  the  exhausted  cus- 
tomer. 

The  fatigue  which  people  have  to  undergo  in  purchasing  their 


DEFECTIVE  CUERENCT. 


55 


week's  necessaries  in  the  market  is  all  the  more  harassing,  as 
there  is  not  at  present  any  standard  money  for  buying  and  sell^ 
ing ;  for  the  ancient  standard  of  the  country,  viz.,  the  pound  of 
copper,  has  long  since  fallen  into  disuse,  though  the  name, 
"rotl,"  still  remains.  The  "gabaga,"  or  cotton  strips,  which 
then  became  usual,  have  lately  begun  to  be  supplanted  by  the 
cowries  or  "  kungona,"  which  have  been  introduced,  as  it  seems, 
rather  by  a  speculation  of  the  ruling  people  than  by  a  natural 
want  of  the  inhabitants,*  though  nobody  can  deny  that  they  are 
very  useful  for  buying  small  articles,  and  infinitely  more  con- 
venient than  cotton  strips.  Eight  cowries  or  kungona  are 
reckoned  equal  to  one  gabaga,  and  four  gabaga,  or  two-and- 
thirty  kungona,  to  one  rotl.  Then,  for  buying  larger  objects, 
there  are  shirts  of  all  kinds  and  sizes,  from  the  "dora,"  the 
coarsest  and  smallest  one,  quite  unfit  for  use,  and  worth  six 
rotls,  up  to  the  large  ones,  worth  fifty  or  sixty  rotls.  But,  while 
this  is  a  standard  value,  the  relation  of  the  rotl  and  the  Austrian 
dollar, t  w^hich  is  pretty  well  current  in  Bornu,  is  subject  to  ex- 
treme fluctuation,  due,  I  must  confess,  at  least  partly,  to  the 
speculations  of  the  ruling  men,  and  principally  to  that  of  my 
friend  the  Haj  Beshir.  Indeed,  I  can  not  defend  him  against 
the  reproach  of  having  speculated  to  the  great  detriment  of  the 
public ;  so  that  when  he  had  collected  a  great  amount  of  kun- 
gona, and  wished  to  give  it  currency,  the  dollar  would  sudden- 
ly fall  as  low  as  to  five-and-forty  or  fifty  rotls,  while  at  other 
times  it  would  fetch  as  much  as  one  hundred  rotls,  or  three 
thousand  two  hundred  shells,  that  is,  seven  hundred  shells  more 
than  in  Kano.  The  great  advantage  of  the  market  in  Kano  is 
that  there  is  one  standard  coin,  which,  if  a  too  large  amount  of 
dollars  be  not  on  a  sudden  set  in  circulation,  will  always  pre- 
serve the  same  value. 

But  to  return  to  the  market.    A  small  farmer  who  brings  his 

*  I  shall  have  occasion  to  mention  what  an  influence  the  introductien  of  cow- 
ries into  Bornu,  by  draining  the  Hausa  country  of  this  article,  has  had  upon  the 
demand  for  cowries  in  Yoruba  and  on  the  coast  in  the  years  following  1849. 

t  The  Austrian  dollar,  the  "bu-ter,"  though  less  in  intrinsic  value,  is  better 
hked  in  Bornu  than  the  Spanish  one,  the  "bu  medf'a." 


56 


TRAVELS  IN  AFEICA. 


corn  to  the  Monday  market,  or  the  *'kasuku  letenmbe,"  in  Ku- 
kawa,  will  on  no  account  take  his  payment  in  shells,  and  will 
rarely  accept  of  a  dollar :  the  person,  therefore,  who  wishes  to 
buy  corn,  if  he  has  only  dollars,  must  first  exchange  a  dollar 
for  shells,  or  rather  buy  shells ;  then  with  the  shells  he  must 
buy  a  "  kulgu"  or  shirt ;  and,  after  a  good  deal  of  bartering,  he 
may  thus  succeed  in  buying  the  corn,  be  it  some  kind  of  argum, 
wheat,  or  rice.  However,  these  two  articles  are  not  always  to 
be  got,  while  more  frequently  they  are  only  in  small  quantities. 
The  rice  sold  in  Kukawa  is  wild  rice,  the  refuse  of  the  elephants, 
and  of  a  very  inferior  description. 

The  fatigue  to  be  undergone  in  the  market  is  such  that  I 
have  very  often  seen  my  servants  return  in  a  state  of  the  utmost 
exhaustion.  Most  of  the  articles  sold  on  the  great  Monday  fair 
may  also  be  found  in  the  small  afternoon  markets  or  durriya, 
but  only  in  small  quantity  and  at  a  higher  price,  and  some  arti- 
cles will  be  sought  for  there  in  vain.  But  while  there  is  cer- 
tainly a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  the  market  of  Kukawa,  it  must 
be  acknowledged  that  the  necessaries  of  life  are  cheaper  there 
than  in  any  other  place  which  I  have  visited  in  Central  Africa, 
almost  half  as  cheap  again  as  in  Katsena  and  Sokoto,  a  third 
cheaper  than  in  Kano,  and  about  a  fourth  cheaper  than  in  Tim- 
buktu. About  the  cheapness  of  meat  and  corn  in  the  latter 
place,  which  is,  indeed,  a  very  remarkable  fact,  and  struck  me 
with  the  utmost  surprise  when  I  first  reached  that  celebrated 
town,  I  shall  speak  in  the  proper  place.  But  I  must  remark 
that  dukhn,  argum  moro,  or  millet  {Pennisetxim  tyjphdideum),  is 
in  greater  quantity,  and  therefore  cheaper,  in  Kukawa  than  the 
durra  or  sorghum,  *'ngaberi,"  just  as  it  is  in  Timbuktu  and  Kano, 
while  in  Bagirmi  durra  is  much  cheaper.  The  ngaberi  of  Bor- 
nu,  however,  particularly  that  kind  of  it  which  is  called  matiya, 
and  which  is  distinguished  by  its  whiteness,  is  most  excellent ; 
and  the  "  senasin,"  a  kind  of  thin  pancake  prepared  from  this 
grain,  is  the  lightest  and  best  food  for  a  European  in  this 
country. 

Of  course,  the  price  of  food  varies  greatly  according  to  the 
season,  the  lowest  rates  ruling  about  a  month  or  two  after  the 


PRICES  OF  PROVISIONS. 


57 


harvest,  when  all  the  corn  in  the  country  has  been  thrashed, 
and  the  highest  rates  just  about  the  harvest  time.  In  general, 
a  dollar  will  purchase  in  Kukawa  three  ox-loads,  "  katkun  kne- 
mube,"  of  argum  ;  a  dollar  and  a  half  will  buy  a  very  good  ox 
of  about  six  hundred  pounds'  weight ;  two  dollars  fetch  a  pack- 
ox  ("  knemu")  or  a  milch-cow  ("  fe  madarabe");  one  dollar,  two 
good  sheep ;  from  seventeen  to  twenty  rotls,  a  "  tendu"  of  but- 
ter, containing  about  four  pounds'  weight.  For  wheat  and  rice, 
the  general  rule  in  Negroland  is  that  they  fetch  double  price  of 
the  native  corn.  Rice  might  seem  indigenous  in  Central  Afri- 
ca, growing  wild  every  where,  as  well  in  Baghena,  in  Western 
Africa,  as  in  Kotoko  or  Bagirmi.  Wheat,  on  the  contrary,  was 
evidently  introduced  some  hundred  years  ago,  together  with  on- 
ions, the  favorite  food  of  the  Arab,  to  the  merits  of  which  the 
native  African  is  insensible,  although  it  is  a  most  wholesome 
article  of  diet  in  this  climate,  as  I  shall  have  repeatedly  occasion 
to  state. 

Of  fruits,  the  most  common  are  the  two  sorts  of  ground-nut, 
"kolche"  and  "gangala,"  the  former  of  which  is  a  very  im- 
portant article  of  food,  though  by  no  means  on  so  large  a  scale 
as  in  the  eastern  parts  of  Adamawa ;  the  "  bito,"  the  fruit  of 
the  hajillj  or  Balanites  yEgy^tiaca  (which  is  so  much  valued 
by  the  Kanuri,  that,  according  to  a  common  proverb,  a  bito- 
tree  and  a  milch-cow  are  just  the  same — "  Keska  bitowa  fewa 
madarabe  kal") ;  a  kind  of  Physalis^  the  native  name  of  w^liich 
I  have  forgotten ;  the  birgim,  or  the  African  plum,  of  which  I 
shall  speak  farther  on  ;  the  korna,  or  the  fruit  of  the  Rhamnus 
lotus;  and  fruit  of  the  dum-palm,  "kirzim,"or  Cucifera  The- 
hdica. 

Of  vegetables,  the  most  common  in  the  market  are  beans  of 
various  descriptions,  which  likewise  form  a  very  important  arti- 
cle of  food  in  many  districts,  certainly  as  much  as  the  third  of 
the  whole  consumption ;  onions,  consumed  in  great  quanity  by 
the  Arabs,  but  not  by  the  natives,  who  prefer  to  season  their 
food  with  the  young  leaves  of  the  monkey-bread-tree,  "kalu 
kuka,"  or  the  "karas,"  or  with  a  sauce  made  from  dried  fish. 
There  are  no  sweet  potatoes  and  no  yams  in  this  part  of  Bornu, 


58 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


tlic  consequence  of  which  is  that  the  food  of  the  natives  is  less 
varied  than  in  Hdusa,  Kebbi,  or  Yoruba.  Yams  are  brought  to 
this  country  as  rarities,  and  are  given  as  presents  to  influential 
persons. 

Camels  sell  at  from  eight  to  twenty  dollars.  When  there  is 
no  caravan  in  preparation,  a  very  tolerable  beast  may  be  bought 
for  the  former  price ;  but  when  a  caravan  is  about  to  start,  the 
best  will  fetch  as  much  as  twenty  dollars — very  rarely  more; 
and  a  good  camel  may  always  be  had  for  about  fifteen  dollars. 
Some  camels  may  be  bought  for  four  or  five  dollars  each,  but 
can  not  be  relied  on. 

Very  strong  traveling  horses  for  servants  were,  during  my  first 
visit,  purchasable  for  from  six  to  eight  dollars,  while  an  excellent 
horse  would  not  fetch  more  than  thirty  dollars  ;  but  in  the  year 
1854  the  price  had  risen  considerably,  in  consequence  of  the 
exportation  of  horses,  which  had  formerly  been  forbidden,  hav- 
ing been  permitted,  and  great  numbers  having  been  exported 
to  the  west — chiefly  to  Muniyo,  Katsena,  and  Maradi.  A  first- 
rate  horse  of  foreign  race,  however,  is  much  dearer,  and  will 
sometimes  fetch  as  much  as  three  hundred  dollars.  I  shall 
have  another  opportunity  of  speaking  of  the  horses  of  Bornu, 
which  is  rather  an  interesting  and  important  subject,  as  the 
breed  is  excellent,  and,  besides  being  very  handsome  and  of 
good  height,  they  bear  fatigue  marvelously — a  fact  of  which 
one  of  my  own  horses  gave  the  best  proof,  having  carried  me 
during  three  years  of  almost  incessant  fatigue  on  my  expedition 
to  Kanem,  to  the  Musgu  country,  to  Bagirmi,  to  Timbuktu,  and 
back  to  Kano,  where  my  poor  dear  companion  died  in  Decem- 
ber, 1854 :  and  let  it  be  taken  into  consideration  that,  though 
I  myself  am  not  very  heavy,  I  constantly  carried  with  me  a 
double-barreled  gun,  one  or  two  pairs  of  pistols,  a  quantity  of 
powder  and  shot,  several  instruments,  my  journals,  and  gener- 
ally even  my  coff*ee-pot  and  some  little  provision. 

But  to  return  to  the  picture  of  life  which  the  town  of  Kukawa 
presents.  With  the  exception  of  Mondays,  when  just  during 
the  hottest  hours  of  the  day  there  is  much  crowd  and  bustle  in 
the  market-place,  it  is  very  dull  from  about  noon  till  three  o'clock 


BO'RNU  WOMEN.— PROMENADE. 


59 


in  the  afternoon  ;  and  even  during  the  rest  of  the  day  those  scenes 
of  industry  which  in  the  varied  panorama  of  Kano  meet  the  eye 
are  here  sought  for  in  vain.  Instead  of  those  numerous  dyeing- 
yards  or  marina,  full  of  life  and  bustle,  though  certainly  also  pro- 
ductive of  much  filth  and  foul  odors,  which  spread  over  the  town 
of  Kano,  there  is  only  a  single  and  a  very  poor  marina  in  Ku- 
kawa ;  no  beating  of  tobes  is  heard,  nor  the  sound  of  any  other 
handicraft. 

There  is  a  great  difference  of  character  between  these  two 
towns;  and,  as  I  have  said  above,  the  Bornu  people  are  by 
temperament  far  more  phlegmatic  than  those  of  Kano.  The 
women  in  general  are  much  more  ugly,  with  square,  short  fig- 
ures, large  heads,  and  broad  noses  with  immense  nostrils,  dis- 
figured still  more  by  the  enormity  of  a  red  bead  or  coral  worn 
in  the  nostril.  Nevertheless,  they  are  certainly  quite  as  coquet- 
tish, and,  as  far  as  I  had  occasion  to  observe,  at  least  as  wanton 
also  as  the  more  cheerful  and  spriglitly  Hausa  women.  I  have 
never  seen  a  Hausa  woman  strolling  about  the  streets  with  her 
gown  trailing  after  her  on  the  ground,  the  fashion  of  the  women 
of  Kukawa,  and  wearing  on  her  shoulders  some  Manchester 
print  of  a  showy  pattern,  keeping  the  ends  of  it  in  her  hands, 
while  she  throws  her  arms  about  in  a  coquettish  manner.  In 
a  word,  their  dress,  as  well  as  their  demeanor,  is  far  more  decent 
and  agreeable.  The  best  part  in  the  dress  or  ornaments  of  the 
Bornu  women  is  the  silver  ornament  (the  fallafalle  kelabe") 
which  they  wear  on  the  back  of  the  head,  and  which  in  taller 
figures,  when  the  hair  is  plaited  in  the  form  of  a  helmet,  is  very 
becoming  ;  but  it  is  not  every  woman  who  can  afford  such  an 
ornament,  and  many  a  one  sacrifices  her  better  interests  for  this 
decoration. 

The  most  animated  quarter  of  the  two  towns  is  the  great 
thoroughfare,  which,  proceeding  by  the  southern  side  of  the 
palace  in  the  western  town,  traverses  it  from  west  to  east,  and 
leads  straight  to  the  sheikh's  residence  in  the  eastern  town. 
This  is  the  "dendal"  or  promenade,  a  locality  which  has  its 
imitation,  on  a  less  or  greater  scale,  in  every  town  of  the  coun- 
try.   This  road,  during  the  whole  day,  is  crowded  by  numbers 


60 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


of  people  on  horseback  and  on  foot ;  free  men  and  slaves,  for- 
eigners as  well  as  natives,  every  one  in  his  best  attire,  to  pay 
his  respects  to  the  sheikh  or  his  vizier,  to  deliver  an  errand,  or 
to  sue  for  justice  or  employment,  or  a  present.  I  myself  very 
often  went  along  this  well-trodden  path^ — this  high  road  of  ambi- 
tion ;  but  I  generally  went  at  an  unusual  hour,  either  at  sunrise 
in  the  morning,  or  while  the  heat  of  the  midday,  not  yet  abated, 
detained  the  people  in  their  cool  haunts,  or  late  at  night,  when 
the  people  were  already  retiring  to  rest,  or,  sitting  before  their 
houses,  beguiling  their  leisure  hours  with  amusing  tales  or  with 
petty  scandal.  At  such  hours  I  was  sure  to  find  the  vizier  or 
the  sheikh  alone ;  but  sometimes  they  wished  me  also  to  visit 
and  sit  with  them,  when  they  were  accessible  to  all  the  people ; 
and  on  these  occasions  the  vizier  took  pride  and  delight  in  con- 
versing with  me  about  matters  of  science,  such  as  the  motion  of 
the  earth,  or  the  planetary  system,  or  subjects  of  that  kind. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  TSaD. 

My  stay  in  the  town  was  agreeably  interrupted  by  an  excur- 
sion to  Xgornu  and  the  shores  of  the  lake. 

Thursday^  Ajpril  2Ath.  Sheikh  'Omar,  with  his  whole  coui't, 
left  Kukawa  in  the  night  of  the  23d  of  April,  in  order  to  spend 
a  day  or  two  in  Xgornu,  where  he  had  a  tolerably  good  house ; 
and,  ha^^ng  been  invited  by  the  vizier  to  go  there,  I  also  follow- 
ed on  the  morning  of  the  next  day.  This  road  to  Xgornu  is 
strongly  marked  with  that  sameness  and  monotony  which  char- 
acterize the  neighborhood  of  Kukawa.  At  first  nothing  is  seen 
but  the  melancholy  "kawo,"  Asclepias  jprocera  or  gigantea  ; 
then  "ngille,"  low  bushes  of  Cucifera,  appear,  and  gradually 
trees  begin  to  enliven  the  landscape,  first  scattered  here  and 
there,  farther  on  forming  a  sort  of  underwood.  The  path  is 
broad  and  well  trodden,  but  consists  mostly  of  deep  sandy  soil. 


NGO'RNU. 


61 


There  are  no  villages  on  the  side  of  the  road,  but  a  good  many 
at  a  little  distance.  In  the  rainy  season  some  very  large  ponds 
are  formed  by  its  side.  Two  miles  and  a  half  before  the  trav- 
eler reaches  Xgornu  the  trees  cease  again,  being  only  seen  in 
detached  clusters  at  a  great  distance,  marking  the  sites  of  vil- 
lages, while  near  the  road  they  give  way  to  an  immense  fertile 
plain,  where  beans  are  cultivated,  besides  grain.  However,  this 
also  is  covered  at  this  season  of  the  year  with  the  tiresome  and 
endless  Asclejnas.  Among  the  sites  of  former  towns  on  the 
east  side  of  the  road  is  that  of  New  Birni,  which  was  built  by 
the  Sultan  Mohammed  when  residing  in  Berberuwa,  about  the 
year  1820,  and  destroyed  by  liaj  Beshir  in  the  year  1847,  and 
does  not  now  contain  a  living  soul.  Farther  on  is  a  group  of 
kitchen-gardens  belonging  to  some  grandees,  and  adorned  with 
two  or  three  most  splendid  tamarind-trees,  which  in  this  monot- 
onous landscape  have  a  peculiar  charm. 

It  was  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  I  entered 
Ngornu,  the  town  of  "  the  blessing."  The  heat  being  then  very 
great,  scarcely  any  body  was  to  be  seen  in  the  streets ;  but  the 
houses,  or  rather  yards,  w^ere  full  of  people,  tents  having  been 
pitched  to  accommodate  so  many  visitors,  while  fine  horses 
looked  forth  every  where  over  the  low  fences,  saluting  us  as  we 
passed  by.  Scarcely  a  single  clay  house  was  to  be  seen,  with 
the  exception  of  the  house  of  the  sheikh,  which  lies  at  the  end 
of  the  dendal ;  but,  nevertheless,  the  town  made  the  impression 
of  comfort  and  ease,  and  every  yard  was  neatly  fenced  with  new 
"  siggedi"  mats,  and  well  shaded  by  korna-trees,  while  the  huts 
were  large  and  spacious. 

Having  in  vain  presented  myself  at  the  house  of  the  vizier, 
where  the  people  were  all  asleep,  and  wandered  about  the  town 
for  a  good  while,  I  at  length  took  up  my  quarters  provisionally 
with  some  Arabs,  till  the  cool  of  the  afternoon  aroused  the  court- 
iers from  their  long  midday  slumber,  which  they  certainly  may 
have  needed,  inasmuch  as  they  had  been  up  at  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  But,  even  after  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  see  Haj 
Beshir,  I  found  it  difficult  to  obtain  quarters,  and  I  was  obliged 
to  pitch  my  tent  in  a  court-yard. 


62  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

Being  tired  of  the  crowd  in  tlie  town,  I  mounted  on  horse- 
back early  next  morning  in  order  to  refresh  myself  with  a  sight 
of  the  lake,  which  I  supposed  to  be  at  no  great  distance,  and  in- 
dulged beforehand  in  anticipations  of  the  delightful  view  which 
I  fondly  imagined  was  soon  to  greet  my  eye.  We  met  a  good 
many  people  and  slaves  going  out  to  cut  grass  for  the  horses, 
and  leaving  them  to  their  w^ork,  we  kept  on  toward  the  rising 
sun.  But  no  lake  was  to  be  seen,  and  an  endless  glassy  plain, 
without  a  single  tree,  extended  to  the  farthest  horizon.  At 
length,  after  the  grass  had  increased  continually  in  freshness 
and  luxuriance,  we  reached  a  shallow  swamp,  the  very  indented 
border  of  which,  sometimes  bending  in,  at  others  bending  out, 
greatly  obstructed  our  progress.  Having  struggled  for  a  length 
of  time  to  get  rid  of  this  swamp,  and  straining  my  eyes  in  vain 
to  discover  the  glimmering  of  an  open  water  in  the  distance,  I 
at  length  retraced  my  steps,  consoling  myself  with  the  thought 
that  I  had  seen  at  least  some  slight  indication  of  the  presence 
of  the  watery  element,  and  which  seemed  indeed  to  be  the  only 
thing  which  was  at  present  to  be  seen  here. 

How  different  was  this  appearance  of  the  country  from  that 
which  it  exhibited  in  the  winter  from  1854  to  1855,  when  more 
than  half  of  the  town  of  Ngornu  was  destroyed  by  the  water, 
and  a  deep  open  sea  was  formed  to  the  south  of  this  place,  in 
which  the  fertile  plain  as  far  as  the  village  of  Kukiya  lay  bur- 
ied. This  great  change  seems  to  have  happened  in  consequence 
of  the  lower  strata  of  the  ground,  which  consisted  of  limestone, 
having  given  way  in  the  preceding  year,  and  the  whole  shore  on 
this  side  having  sunk  several  feet ;  but,  even  without  such  a  re- 
markable accident,  the  character  of  the  Tsad  is  evidently  that 
of  an  immense  lagoon,  changing  its  border  every  month,  and 
therefore  incapable  of  being  mapped  with  accuracy.  Indeed, 
when  I  saw  to-day  the  nature  of  these  swampy  lowlands  sur- 
rounding the  lake,  or  rather  lagoon,  I  immediately  became  aware 
that  it  would  be  quite  impossible  to  survey  its  shores,  even  if 
the  state  of  the  countries  around  should  allow  us  to  enter  upon 
such  an  undertaking.  The  only  thing  possible  would  be  on  one 
side  to  fix  the  farthest  limit  reached  at  times  by  the  inundation 


EXCURSION  TO  THE  TSA'D. 


63 


of  the  lagoon,  and  on  the  other  to  determine  the  extent  of  the 
navigable  waters. 

Having  returned  to  the  town,  I  related  to  the  vizier  my  un- 
successful excursion  in  search  of  the  Tsad,  and  he  obligingly- 
promised  to  send  some  horsemen  to  conduct  me  along  the  shore 
as  far  as  Kawa,  whence  I  should  return  to  the  capital. 

Saturday^  April  20th.  The  sheikh,  with  his  court,  having 
left  Ngornu  before  the  dawn  of  day  on  his  return  to  Kukawa, 
I  sent  back  my  camel,  with  my  two  men  also,  by  the  direct 
road  ;  and  then,  having  waited  a  while  in  vain  for  the  promised 
escort,  I  went  myself  with  Bu-S'ad  to  look  after  it,  but  succeed- 
ed only  in  obtaining  two  horsemen,  one  of  whom  was  the  Ka- 
shella  Kotoko,  an  amiable,  quiet  Kanemma  chief,  who  ever  aft- 
erward remained  my  friend,  and  the  other  a  horse-guard  of  the 
sheikh's,  of  the  name  of  Sale.  With  these  companions  we  set 
out  on  our  excursion,  going  northeast ;  for  due  east  from  the 
town,  as  I  now  learned,  the  lagoon  was  at  present  at  more  than 
ten  miles'  distance.  The  fine  grassy  plain  seemed  to  extend 
to  a  boundless  distance,  uninterrupted  by  a  single  tree,  or  even 
a  shrub ;  not  a  living  creature  was  to  be  seen,  and  the  sun  be- 
gan already  to  throw  a  fiery  veil  over  all  around,  making  the 
vicinity  of  the  cooling  element  desirable.  After  a  little  more 
than  half  an  hour's  ride  we  reached  swampy  ground,  and  began 
to  make  our  way  through  the  water,  often  up  to  our  knees  on 
horseback.  We  thus  came  to  the  margin  of  a  fine  open  sheet 
of  water,  encompassed  with  papyrus  and  tall  reed,  of  from  ten 
to  fourteen  feet  in  height,  of  two  difierent  kinds,  one  called 
"mele,"  and  the  other  "bore"  or  "bole."  The  m^le  has  a 
white,  tender  core,  which  is  eaten  by  the  natives,  but  to  me 
seemed  insipid ;  the  bore  has  a  head  like  the  common  bulrush, 
and  its  stalk  is  triangular.  The  thicket  was  interwoven  by  a 
climbing  plant  with  yellow  flowers,  called  "borbuje"  by  the  na- 
tives, while  on  the  surface  of  the  water  was  a  floating  plant,  call- 
ed, very  facetiously,  by  the  natives,  "fanna-billabago"  (the  home- 
less fanna).    This  creek  was  called  "Ngiruwa." 

Then  turning  a  little  more  to  the  north,  and  passing  still 
through  deep  water  full  of  grass,  and  most  fatiguing  for  the 


64 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


horses,  while  it  seemed  most  delightful  to  me,  after  my  dry  and 
dreary  journey  through  this  continent,  we  reached  another  creek, 
called  "Dimbeber."  Here  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  see  two 
small  boats,  or  "makara,"  of  the  Budduma,  as  they  are  called 
by  the  Kandri,  or  Yedina,  as  they  call  themselves,  the  famous 
pirates  of  the  Tsad.  They  were  small  flat  boats,  made  of  the 
light  and  narrow  wood  of  the  "fogo,"  about  twelve  feet  long, 
and  managed  by  two  men  each :  as  soon  as  the  men  saw  us, 
they  pushed  their  boats  off  from  the  shore.  They  were  evi- 
dently in  search  of  human  prey ;  and  as  we  had  seen  people 
from  the  neighboring  villages  who  had  come  here  to  cut  reeds 
to  thatch  their  huts  anew  for  the  rainy  season,  we  went  first  to 
inform  them  of  the  presence  of  these  constant  enemies  of  the  in- 
habitants of  these  fertile  banks  of  the  lagoon,  that  they  might 
be  on  their  guard ;  for  they  could  not  see  them,  owing  to  the 
quantity  of  tall  reeds  with  which  the  banks  and  the  neighbor- 
ing land  was  overgrown. 

We  then  continued  our  watery  march.  The  sun  was  by  this 
time  very  powerful ;  but  a  very  gentle  cooling  breeze  came 
over  the  lagoon,  and  made  the  heat  supportable.  We  had  wa- 
ter enough  to  quench  our  thirst — indeed,  more  than  we  really 
wanted ;  for  we  might  have  often  drunk  with  our  mouth,  by 
stooping  down  a  little,  on  horseback,  so  deeply  were  we  im- 
mersed. But  the  water  was  exceedingly  warm,  and  full  of  vege- 
table matter.  It  is  perfectly  fresh,  as  fresh  as  water  can  be. 
It  seems  to  have  been  merely  from  prejudice  that  people  in  Eu- 
rope have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  this  Central  African  basin 
must  either  have  an  outlet  or  must  be  salt ;  for  I  can  posi- 
tively assert  that  it  has  no  outlet,  and  that  its  water  is  perfect- 
ly fresh.  Indeed,  I  do  not  see  from  whence  saltness  of  the  wa- 
ter should  arise  in  a  district  in  which  there  is  no  salt  at  all,  and 
in  which  the  herbage  is  so  destitute  of  this  element  that  the 
millt  of  the  cows  and  sheep  fed  on  it  is  rather  insipid,  and  some- 
what unwholesome.  Certainly,  in  the  holes  around  the  lagoon, 
where  the  soil  is  strongly  impregnated  with  natron,  and  which 
are  only  for  a  short  time  of  the  year  in  connection  with  the  lake, 
the  water,  when  in  small  quantity,  must  savor  of  the  peculiar 


NGUXBEA'.— MGO'MARE'N. 


65 


quality  of  the  soil ;  but  when  these  holes  are  full,  the  water  in 
them  likewise  is  fresh. 

While  we  rode  along  these  marshj,  luxuriant  plains,  large 
herds  of  "  kelara"  started  up,  bounding  over  the  rushes,  and, 
sometimes  swimming,  at  others  running,  soon  disappeared  in 
the  distance.  This  is  a  pecuKar  kind  of  antelope,  which  I  have 
nowhere  seen  but  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  lake.  In 
color  and  size  it  resembles  the  roe,  and  has  a  white  belly.  The 
kelara  is  by  no  means  slender,  but  rather  bulky,  and  extremely 
fat;  this,  however,  may  not  be  a  specific  character,  but  merely 
the  consequence  of  the  rich  food  which  it  enjoys  here.  It  may 
be  identical  with,  or  be  a  variety  of  the  Antilojpe  Ai'obica^  and 
the  Arabs,  and  those  of  the  natives  who  understand  a  little  Ara- 
bic, call  both  by  the  same  name,  "  el  ariyel." 

Proceeding  onward,  we  reached,  about  noon,  another  creek, 
which  is  used  occasionally  by  the  Budduma  as  a  harbor,  and 
is  called  "Ngulbea."'  We,  however,  found  it  empty,  and  only 
inhabited  by  ngurutus  or  river-horses,  which,  indeed,  live  here 
in  great  numbers,  snorting  about  in  every  direction,  and  by  two 
species  of  crocodiles.  In  this  quarter  there  are  no  elephants, 
for  the  very  simple  reason  that  they  have  no  place  of  retreat 
during  the  night ;  for  this  immense  animal  (at  least  in  Africa) 
appears  to  be  very  sensible  of  the  convenience  of  a  soft  couch  in 
the  sand,  and  of  the  inconvenience  of  musquitoes  too;  wherefore 
it  prefers  to  lie  down  on  a  spot  a  little  elevated  above  the 
swampy  ground,  whither  it  resorts  for  its  daily  food.  On  the 
banks  of  the  northern  part  of  the  Tsad,  on  the  contrary,  where 
a  range  of  low  sand-hills  and  wood  encompasses  the  lagoon,  we 
shall  meet  with  immense  herds  of  this  animal. 

Ngulbea  was  the  easternmost  point  of  our  excursion ;  and, 
turning  here  a  little  west  from  north,  we  continued  our  march 
over  drier  pasture-grounds,  placed  beyond  the  reach  of  the  in- 
undation, and  after  about  three  miles  reached  the  deeply-in- 
dented and  well-protected  creek  called  "  Ngomaren."  Here  I 
was  most  agreeably  surprised  by  the  sight  of  eleven  boats  of 
the  Yedina.  Large,  indeed,  they  were,  considering  the  ship- 
building of  these  islanders  :  but  otherwise  they  looked  very 

Vol.  II.— E 


66 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


small  and  awkward,  and,  resting  quite  flat  on  the  water,  strik- 
ingly reminded  me  of  theatrical  exhibitions  in  which  boats  are 
introduced  on  the  stage.  They  were  not  more  than  about  twen- 
ty feet  long,*  but  seemed  tolerably  broad  ;  and  one  of  them  con- 
tained as  many  as  eleven  people,  besides  a  good  quantity  of  na- 
tron and  other  things.  They  had  a  very  low  waist,  but  rather 
a  high  and  pointed  prow.  They  are  made  of  the  narrow  boards 
of  the  fogo-tree,  which  are  fastened  together  with  ropes  from  the 
dum-palm,  the  holes  being  stopped  with  bast. 

The  Kanembu  inhabitants  of  many  neighboring  villages  car- 
ry on  trade  with  the  islanders  almost  uninterruptedly,  while 
elsewhere  the  latter  are  treated  as  most  deadly  enemies.  Two 
parties  of  Kanembu  happened  to  be  here  with  argum  or  millet, 
which  they  exchange  for  the  natron.  They  were  rather  fright- 
ened when  they  saw  us,  the  Budduma  being  generally  regarded 
as  enemies ;  but  the  sheikh  and  his  counselors  are  well  aware 
of  this  intercourse,  and,  wanting  either  the  spirit  or  the  power 
to  reduce  those  islanders  to  subjection,  they  must  allow  their 
own  subjects,  whom  they  fail  to  protect  against  the  continual 
inroads  of  the  Budduma,  to  deal  with  the  latter  at  their  own 
discretion.  It  was  my  earnest  wish  to  go  on  board  one  of  the 
boats,  and  to  examine  their  make  attentively ;  and,  with  the 
assistance  of  Kashella  Kotoko,  who  was  well  known  to  the  Bud- 
duma, I  should  perhaps  have  succeeded,  if  Bu-S'ad,  my  ]\Ioham- 
medan  companion,  had  not  behaved  like  a  madman ;  indeed,  I 
could  scarcely  restrain  him  from  firing  at  these  people,  who  had 
done  us  no  harm.  This  was  certainly  a  mere  outbreak  of  fa- 
naticism. When  the  people  in  the  boats  saw  my  servant's  ex- 
cited behavior,  they  left  the  shore,  though  numerous  enough  to 
overpower  us ;  and  we  then  rode  on  to  another  creek  called 
Mellela,  whence  we  turned  westward,  and  in  about  an  hour, 
partly  through  water,  partly  over  a  grassy  plain,  reached  Madu- 
wari. 

Maduwari,  at  that  time,  was  an  empty  sound  for  mc — a  name 

*  This  certainly  did  not  belong  to  the  largest  craft  of  the  islanders ;  for  one 
of  the  boats  which  accompanied  Mr.  Overweg  afteiT^'ard  on  his  voyage  on  the 
lake  was  almost  fifty  feet  long,  and  six  and  a  half  wide. 


MADUWA'EI. 


67 


without  a  meaning,  just  like  the  names  of  so  many  other  places 
at  which  I  had  touched  on  my  wanderings  ;  but  it  was  a  name 
about  to  become  important  in  the  history  of  the  expedition,  to 
which  many  a  serious  remembrance  was  to  be  attached.  Madu- 
wari  was  to  contain  another  white  man's  grave,  and  thus  to  rank 
with  Ngurutuwa. 

When  I  first  entered  the  place  from  the  side  of  the  lake,  it 
made  a  very  agreeable  impression  upon  me,  as  it  showed  evident 
signs  of  ease  and  comfort,  and,  instead  of  being  closely  packed 
together,  as  most  of  the  towns  and  villages  of  the  Kanuri  are, 
it  lay  dispersed  in  eleven  or  twelve  separate  clusters  of  huts, 
shaded  by  a  rich  profusion  of  korna-  and  bito-trees.  I  was  con- 
ducted by  my  companion,  Kashella  Kotoko,  to  the  house  of 
Fugo  'Ali.  It  was  the  house  wherein  Overweg,  a  year  and 
a  half  later,  was  to  expire ;  while  Fugo  'Ali  himself,  the  man 
who  first  contracted  friendship  with  me,  then  conducted  my 
companion  on  his  interesting  navigation  round  the  islands  of  the 
lake,  and  who  frequented  our  house,  was  destined  to  fall  a  sac- 
rifice in  the  revolution  of  1854.  How  different  was  my  recep- 
tion then,  when  I  first  went  to  his  house  on  this  my  first  excur- 
sion to  the  lake,  and  when  I  revisited  it  with  Mr.  Vogel  in  the 
beginning  of  1855,  when  Fugo  'Ali's  widow  was  sobbing  at  my 
side,  lamenting  the  ravages  of  time,  the  death  of  my  companion, 
and  that  of  her  own  husband. 

The  village  pleased  me  so  much  that  I  took  a  long  walk 
through  it  before  I  sat  down  to  rest ;  and  after  being  treated 
most  sumptuously  with  fowls  and  a  roasted  sheep,  I  passed  the 
evening  very  agreeably  in  conversation  with  my  black  friends. 
The  inhabitants  of  all  these  villages  are  Kanembu,*  belonging 
to  the  tribe  of  the  Sugurti,  who  in  former  times  were  settled  in 
Kanem,  till,  by  the  wholesale  devastation  of  that  country,  they 
were  compelled  to  leave  their  homes  and  seek  a  retreat  in  these 
regions.  Here  they  have  adopted  the  general  dress  of  the  Ka- 
nuri ;  and  only  very  few  of  them  may  at  present  be  seen  exhib- 
iting their  original  native  costume,  the  greatest  ornament  of 


*  Kanembu  is  the  plural  of  Kanemma. 


68 


TRAVELS  IN  APRICA. 


which  is  the  head-dress,  while  the  body  itself,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  tight  leathern  apron,  or  "funo,"  is  left  naked.  This 
is  a  remarkable  peculiarity  of  costume,  which  seems  to  prevail 
among  almost  all  barbarous  tribes.  The  original  head-dress  of 
the  Sugurti,  that  is  to  say,  of  the  head  men  of  the  tribe,  con- 
sists of  four  different  articles:  first,  the  "joka,"  or  cap,  rather 
stiff,  and  widening  at  the  top,  where  the  second  article,  the 
"  ariyabu"  (aliyafu),  is  tied  round  it ;  from  the  midst  of  the  folds 
of  the  ariyabu,  just  over  the  front  of  the  head,  the  "mullefu" 
stands  forth,  a  piece  of  red  cloth,  stiffened,  as  it  seems,  by  a 
piece  of  leather  from  behind ;  and  all  round  the  crown  of  the 
head  a  bristling  crown  of  reeds  rises  with  barbaric  majesty  to  a 
height  of  about  eight  inches.  Round  his  neck  he  wears  a  tight 
string  of  white  beads,  or  "  kululu,"  and  hanging  down  upon  the 
breast  several  small  leather  pockets,  containing  written  charms 
or  laya,  v/hile  his  right  arm  is  ornamented  with  three  rings,  one 
on  the  upper  arm,  called  "wiwi  or  bibi,"  one  made  of  ivory, 
and  called  "chila,*'  above  the  elbow,  and  another,  called  "kul- 
lo,"  just  above  the  wrist.  The  shields  of  the  Sugurti,  at  least 
most  of  them,  are  broad  at  the  top  as  well  as  at  the  base,  and, 
besides  his  large  spear  or  kasakka,  he  is  always  armed  with 
three  or  four  javelins,  "  ballem."  But  besides  the  Sugurti  there 
happened  to  be  just  then  present  in  the  village  some  Budduma, 
handsome,  slender,  and  intelligent  people,  their  whole  attire  con- 
sisting in  a  leathern  apron  and  a  string  of  white  beads  round 
the  neck,  which,  together  with  their  white  teeth,  produces  a  beau- 
tiful contrast  with  the  jet-black  skin.  They  gave  me  the  first 
account  of  the  islands  of  the  lake,  stating  that  the  open  water, 
which  in  their  language  is  called  "  Kalilemma,"  or  rather  Kulu 
kerne,  begins  one  day's  voyage  from  Kaya,  the  small  harbor  of 
Maduwari,  stretching  in  the  direction  of  Shawi,  and  that  the 
water  is  thenceforth  from  one  to  two  fathoms  deep.  I  invari- 
ably understood  from  all  the  people  with  whom  I  spoke  about 
this  interesting  lake,  that  the  open  water,  with  its  islands  of  ele- 
vated sandy  downs,  stretches  from  the  mouth  of  the  Shary  to- 
ward the  western  shore,  and  that  all  the  rest  of  the  lake  consists 
of  swampy  meadow-lands,  occasionally  inundated.    I  shall  have 


AN  EXTENSIVE  VIEW. 


71 


occasion  to  speak  again  about  this  point  when  briefly  reporting 
my  unfortunate  companion's  voyage  on  the  lake.* 

Having  closed  my  day's  labor  usefully  and  pleasantly,  I  lay 
down  under  a  sort  of  shed,  but  had  much  to  suffer  from  mus- 
quitoes,  which,  together  with  fleas,  are  a  great  nuisance  near  the 
banks  of  the  lagoon. 

Sunday,  April  27 tL  Before  sunrise  we  were  again  in  the 
saddle,  accompanied  by  Fugu  or  Pufo  'Ali,  who  had  his  double 
pair  of  small  drums  with  him,  and  looked  well  on  his  stately 
horse.  It  was  a  beautiful  morning,  and  I  was  delighted  with 
the  scene  around.  Clear  and  unbroken  were  the  lines  of  the 
horizon,  the  swampy  plain  extending  on  our  right  toward  the 
lake,  and  blending  with  it,  so  as  to  allow  the  mind  that  delights 
in  wandering  over  distant  regions  a  boundless  expanse  to  rove 
in — an  enjoyment  not  to  be  found  in  mountainous  regions,  be 
the  mountains  ever  so  distant.  For 

"  'Tis  distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view." 

Thus  we  went  on  slowly  northward,  while  the  sun  rose  over 
the  patches  of  water,  which  spread  over  the  grassy  plain ;  and 
on  our  left  the  village  displayed  its  snug  yards  and  huts,  neatly 
fenced  and  shaded  by  spreading  trees.  We  now  left  Maduwa- 
ri,  and  after  a  little  while  passed  another  village  called  Dogoji, 
when  we  came  to  a  large  hamlet  or  "  berl"  of  Kanembu  cattle- 
breeders,  who  had  the  care  of  almost  all  the  cattle  of  the  villages 
along  the  shores  of  the  lake,  which  is  very  credibly  reported  to 
amount  together  to  eleven  thousand  head.  The  herd  here  col- 
lected— numbering  at  least  a  thousand  head,  most  of  them  of 

*  The  Yedina  named  to  me  the  following  islands  as  the  largest  and  most  im- 
portant :  Gurija,  Yiwaa  Doji,  Belarge,  Hushiya  Billan,  Purram,  Maibuluwa,  Fid- 
da,  Kollea  Dallaborme,  Turbo  Dakkabeldya,  Fujia  Chi'lim,  and  Brejare,  the  latter 
having  many  horses.  Almost  all  these  names  have  been  since  confirmed  by 
Mr.  Overweg,  although  he  spells  some  of  them  in  a  different  way,  and  perhaps 
less  accurately,  as  he  obtained  all  his  information  from  his  Kanuri  companions ; 
indeed,  notwithstanding  his  long  sojourn  among  the  islanders,  he  did  not  even 
learn  their  real  name,  viz.,  Yedina.  The  Yedina  belong  evidently  to  the  Kotoko, 
and  are  most  nearly  related  to  the  people  of  Nghala ;  they  are  probably  already 
indicated  by  Makrizi  under  the  name  \^'\ ,  and  their  language  was  originally 
entirely  distinct  from  the  Kanuri,  although  in  process  of  time  they  have  adopted 
many  of  their  terms. 


72 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


that  peculiar  kind  called  kuri,  mentioned  above — was  placed  in 
the  midst,  while  the  men  were  encamped  all  around,  armed  with 
long  spears  and  light  shields ;  at  equal  distances  long  poles 
were  fixed  in  the  ground,  on  which  the  butter  was  hung  up 
in  skins  or  in  "korio,"  vessels  made  of  grass.  Here  we  had 
some  delay,  as  Fiigo  'Ali,  who  was  the  inspector  of  all  these 
villages,  had  to  make  inquiries  respecting  three  head  of  cattle 
belonging  to  the  vizier  which  had  been  stolen  during  the  night. 
On  our  left  the  considerable  village  of  Binder,  which  is  at  least 
as  large  as  Maduwari,  exhibited  an  interesting  picture,  and  I  had 
leisure  to  make  a  sketch. 

Having  here  indulged  in  a  copious  draught  of  fresh  milk,  we 
resumed  our  march,  turning  to  the  eastward  ;  and,  having  pass- 
ed through  deep  water,  we  reached  the  creek  "Kogoram,"'  sur- 
rounded by  a  dense  belt  of  tall  rushes  of  various  kinds.  We 
were  just  about  to  leave  this  gulf,  when  we  were  joined  by  Zin- 
telma,  another  Kanemma  chief,  who  ever  afterward  remained  at- 
tached to  me  and  Mr.  Overweg,  with  five  horsemen.  Our  troop 
having  thus  increased,  we  went  on  cheerfully  to  another  creek 
called  Tabiram,  whence  we  galloped  toward  Bole,  trying  in  vain 
to  overtake  a  troop  of  kelara  (the  antelope  before  mentioned), 
which  rushed  headlong  into  the  water  and  disappeared  in  the 
jungle.  Before,  however,  we  could  get  to  this  latter  place,  we 
had  to  pass  very  deep  water,  w^hich  covered  my  saddle,  though 
I  was  mounted  on  a  tall  horse,  and  swamped  altogether  my  poor 
Bu-S'ad  on  his  pony;  nothing  but  his  head  and  his  gun  were 
to  be  seen  for  a  time.  But  it  was  worth  while  to  reach  the  spot 
which  we  thus  attained  at  the  widest  creek  of  the  lake  as  yet 
seen  by  me — a  fine,  open  sheet  of  water,  the  surface  of  which, 
agitated  by  a  light  east  wind,  threw  its  waves  upon  the  shore. 
All  around  was  one  forest  of  reeds  of  every  description,  while 
the  water  itself  was  covered  with  water-plants,  chiefly  the  water- 
lily,  or  Nynvphcea  lotus.  Numberless  flocks  of  water-fowl  of 
every  description  played  about.  The  creek  has  an  angular 
form,  and  its  recess,  which  makes  a  deep  indentation  from  E. 
30°  N.  to  W.  30°  S.,  is  named  Xghelle. 

Having  made  our  way  through  the  water  and  rushes,  and  at 


SOTURUM.— KA'WA. 


75 


length  got  again  on  firm  ground,  we  made  a  momentary  halt  to 
consider  what  next  to  do.  Haj  Beshir  had  taught  me  to  hope 
that  it  would  be  possible  to  reach  on  horseback  the  island  S6- 
yurum,*  which  extends  a  long  way  into  the  lake,  and  whence  I 
might  have  an  extensive  view  over  the  Kulu  keme  and  many 
of  the  islands  ;  but  my  companions  were  unanimously  of  opin- 
ion that  the  depth  of  the  water  to  be  crossed  for  many  miles  ex- 
ceeded the  height  of  my  horse  ;  and  although  I  was  quite  ready 
to  expose  myself  to  more  wetting  in  order  to  see  a  greater  por- 
tion of  this  most  interesting  feature  of  Central  Africa,  I  never- 
theless did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  ride  a  whole  day  through 
deep  water,  particularly  as  in  so  doing  I  should  not  be  able  to 
keep  my  chronometer  and  my  compass  dry  ;  for  these  were  now 
the  most  precious  things  which  I  had  on  earth,  and  could  not 
be  replaced  or  repaired  so  easily  as  gun  and  pistols.  But,  more- 
over, my  horse,  which  had  never  been  accustomed  to  fatigue, 
and  had  not  been  well  fed,  had  become  quite  lame,  and  seemed 
scarcely  able  to  carry  me  back  to  Kukawa.  I  therefore  gave 
up  the  idea  of  visiting  the  island,  which,  in  some  years,  when 
the  lake  does  not  rise  to  a  great  height,  may  be  reached  with 
little  inconvenience,  t  and  followed  my  companions  toward  the 
large  village  of  Kawa.J 

Passing  over  fields  planted  with  cotton  and  beans,  but  with- 
out native  com,  which  is  not  raised  here  at  all,  we  reached  Kawa 
after  an  hour's  ride,  while  we  passed  on  our  left  a  small  swamp. 
Kawa  is  a  large,  straggling  village,  which  seems  to  enjoy  some 
political  pre-eminence  above  the  other  places  hereabouts,  and  on 
this  account  is  placed  in  a  somewhat  hostile  position  to  the  in- 
dependent inhabitants  of  the  islands,  with  which  the  Kanembu 

*  Mr.  Overweg  writes  Seurum. 

t  The  distance  of  the  western  shore  of  this  island  can  not  be  more  than,  at 
the  utmost,  thirty  miles  from  the  shore  of  the  lagoon,  at  least  at  certain  seasons. 
Mr.  Overweg's  indications  in  respect  to  this  island,  which  he  would  seem  to  have 
navigated  all  round,  are  very  vague.  At  all  events,  I  think  that  it  must  be  con- 
siderably nearer  the  shore  than  it  has  been  laid  down  by  Mr.  Petermann ;  but  it 
is  difficult,  nay,  impossible,  to  fix  with  precision  the  form  or  size  of  these  islands, 
which,  according  to  season,  vary  continually. 

X  One  of  the  horsemen  from  Binder  informed  me  of  some  other  harbors  here- 
abouts, named  Kela  kemagenbe  (elephant's  head),  Dalawa,  Kabaya,  and  Ngibia. 


76 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


in  general  keep  up  a  sort  of  peaceful  intercourse.  What  to  me 
seemed  the  most  interesting  objects  were  the  splendid  trees 
adorning  the  place.  The  sycamore  under  which  our  party  was 
desired  to  rest  in  the  house  of  Fugo  'All's  sister  was  most  mag- 
nificent, and  afibrded  the  most  agreeable  resting-place  possible, 
the  space  overshadowed  by  the  crown  of  the  tree  being  inclosed 
with  a  separate  fence,  as  the  "  fage"  ot  place  of  meeting.  Here 
we  were  feasted  with  a  kind  of  bolo-bolo,"  or  water  mixed 
with  pounded  argum  or  dukhn,  sour  milk,  and  meat,  and  then 
continued  our  march  to  Kukawa,  where  we  arrived  just  as  the 
vizier  was  mounting  on  horseback  to  go  to  the  sheikh.  Gallop- 
ing up  to  him,  we  paid  him  our  respects,  and  he  expressed  him- 
self well  pleased  with  me.  My  companions  told  him  that  we 
had  been  swimming  about  in  the  lake  for  the  last  two  days,  and 
that  I  had  written  down  every  thing.  The  whole  cavalcade, 
consisting  of  eight  horsemen,  then  accompanied  me  to  my  house, 
where  I  gave  them  a  treat. 

I  returned  just  in  time  from  my  excursion,  for  the  next  day 
the  caravan  for  Fezzan  encamped  outside  the  town,  and  I  had 
to  send  off  two  of  my  men  with  it.  One  of  them  was  the  car- 
penter Ibrahim,  a  handsome  young  man,  but  utterly  unfit  for 
work,  of  whom  I  was  extremely  glad  to  get  rid  ;  the  other  was 
Mohammed  el  Gatroni,  my  faithful  servant  from  Murzuk,  whom 
I  dismissed  with  heartfelt  sorrow.  He  had  a  very  small  sala- 
ry, and  I  therefore  promised  to  give  him  four  Spanish  dollars  a 
month,  and  to  mount  him  on  horseback,  but  it  was  all  in  vain ; 
he  was  anxious  to  see  his  wife  and  children  again,  after  which 
he  promised  to  come  back.  I  therefore,  like  the  generals  of  an- 
cient Rome,  gave  him  leave  of  absence — "pueris  procreandis 
daret  operam." 

On  the  other  side,  it  was  well  worth  a  sacrifice  to  send  a 
trustworthy  man  to  Fezzan.  The  expedition  had  lost  its  di- 
rector, who  alone  was  authorized  to  act  in  the  name  of  the  gov- 
ernment which  had  sent  us  out ;  we  had  no  means  whatever, 
but  considerable  debts,  and,  without  immediate  aid  by  fresh 
supplies,  the  surviving  members  could  do  no  better  than  to  re- 
turn home  as  soon  as  possible.    Moreover,  there  were  Mr.  Rich- 


MOHA^IMED  TITI'WI. 


77 


ardson's  private  things  to  be  forwarded,  and  particularly  his 
journal,  which,  from  the  beginning  of  the  journey  down  to  the 
very  last  days  of  his  life,  he  had  kept  with  great  care — more  for- 
tunate he,  and  more  provident  in  this  respect  than  my  other 
companion,  who  laughed  at  me  when,  during  moments  of  leis- 
ure, I  finished  the  notes  which  I  had  briefly  written  down  dur- 
ing the  march,  and  who  contended  that  nothing  could  be  done 
in  this  respect  till  after  a  happy  return  home.  I  therefore  pro- 
vided Mohammed,  upon  whose  discretion  and  fidelity  I  could 
entirely  rely,  with  a  camel,  and  intrusted  to  him  all  Mr.  Rich- 
ardson's things  and  my  parcel  of  letters,  which  he  was  to  for- 
ward by  the  courier,  who  is  generally  sent  on  by  the  caravan 
after  its  arrival  in  the  Tebu  country. 

There  were  two  respectable  men  with  the  caravan,  Haj  Ha- 
san, a  man  belonging  to  the  family  of  El  Kanemi,  and  in  whose 
company  Mr.Vogel  afterward  traveled  from  Fezzan  to  Bornu, 
and  JNIohammed  Titiwi.  On  the  second  of  May,  therefore,  I 
went  to  pay  a  visit  to  these  men,  but  found  only  Titiwi,  to  whom 
I  recommended  my  servant.  He  promised  to  render  him  all 
needful  assistance.  I  had  but  little  intercourse  with  this  man, 
yet  this  little  occurred  on  important  occasions,  and  so  his  name 
has  become  a  pleasant  remembrance  to  me.  I  first  met  him 
when  sending  off  the  literary  remains  of  my  unfortunate  com- 
panion. I  at  the  same  time  ventured  to  introduce  myself  to 
her  majesty's  government,  and  to  try  if  it  would  so  far  rely 
upon  me,  a  foreigner,  as  to  intrust  me  with  the  further  direction 
of  the  expedition,  and  to  ask  for  means  ;  it  was  then  Titiwi 
again  who  brought  me  the  most  honorable  dispatches  from  the 
British  government,  authorizing  me  to  carry  out  the  expedition 
just  as  it  had  been  intended,  and  at  the  same  time  means  for 
doing  so.  It  was  Titiwi  who,  on  the  day  when  I  was  leaving 
Kiikawa  on  my  long,  adventurous  journey  to  Timbuktu,  came 
to  my  house  to  wish  me  success  in  my  arduous  undertaking; 
and  it  was  Titiwi  again  who,  on  the  second  of  August,  1855, 
came  to  the  consul's  house  in  Tripoli  to  congratulate  me  on  my 
successful  return  from  the  interior. 

He  was  an  intelligent  man,  and,  being  informed  that  I  was 


78 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


about  to  undertake  a  journey  to  Adamawa,  the  dangers  of  wliich 
lie  well  knew,  he  expressed  his  astonishment  that  I  should  make 
the  attempt  with  a  weak  horse,  such  as  I  was  then  riding.  My 
horse,  though  it  had  recovered  a  little  from  its  lameness,  and 
was  getting  strength  from  a  course  of  dumplings  made  of  the 
husk  of  Negro  corn  mixed  with  natron,  which  it  had  to  swallow 
every  morning  and  evening,  was  any  thing  but  a  good  charger ; 
and  having  previously  determined  to  look  about  for  a  better 
horse,  I  was  only  confirmed  in  my  intention  by  the  observation 
of  the  experienced  merchant. 

This  was  one  of  the  largest  slave  caravans  which  departed 
during  my  stay  in  Bornu  ;  for,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  there  were 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  slaves  in  the  possession  of  the  mer- 
chants who  went  w4th  it.  Slaves  are  as  yet  the  principal  ex- 
port from  Bornu,  and  will  be  so  till  the  slave-trade  on  the  north 
coast  is  abolished.* 

Overweg  had  not  yet  arrived,  although  we  had  received  in- 
formation that  he  was  on  his  way  directly  from  Zinder,  having 
given  up  his  intention  of  visiting  Kano.  Before  I  set  out  on 
my  journey  to  Adamawa,  it  was  essential  that  I  should  confer 
with  him  about  many  things,  and  particularly  as  to  what  he 
himself  should  first  undertake,  but  the  rainy  season  was  fast 
approaching  even  here,  while  in  Adamawa  it  had  set  in  long  ago, 
and  it  seemed  necessary  that  I  should  not  delay  any  longer. 
In  the  afternoon  of  the  fifth  of  May  we  had  the  first  unmistak- 
able token  of  the  rainy  season — a  few  heavy  claps  of  thunder 
followed  by  rain.  But  I  did  not  tariy ;  the  very  same  day  I 
bought  in  the  market  all  that  was  necessary  for  my  journey,  and 
the  next  day  succeeded  in  purchasing  a  very  handsome  and 
strong  gray  horse,  "  keri  bul,"  for  twelve  hundred  and  seventy 
rotls,  equal  at  that  moment  to  two-and-thirty  Austrian  dollars, 
while  I  sold  my  weak  horse  which  the  sheikh  had  given  me  for 
nine  hundred  rotls,  or  twenty-two  dollars  and  a  half. 

Having  also  bought  an  Arab  saddle,  I  felt  myself  quite  a 
match  for  any  body,  and  hearing  in  the  afternoon  that  the  sheikh 

*  This  is  now  really  the  case.  I  shall  speak  of  the  articles  of  trade  in  Bornu 
at  the  end  of  my  work. 


OVERWEG'S  ARRIVAL. 


79 


had  gone  to  Gawange,  a  place  two  miles  and  a  half  east  from 
the  town  toward  the  lake,  I  mounted  my  new  steed,  and  setting 
off  at  a  gallop,  posted  myself  before  the  palace  just  when  'Omar 
was  about  to  come  out  with  the  flourishing  of  the  trumpets, 
sounding  the  Hausa  word  "gashi,  gashi,"  "here  he  is,  here  he 
is."  The  sheikh  was  very  handsomely  dressed  in  a  fine  white 
bernus,  over  another  of  light  blue  color,  and  very  well  mounted 
on  a  fine  black  horse,  "  fir  kera."  He  was  accompanied  by  sev- 
eral of  his  and  the  vizier's  courtiers,  and  about  two  hundred 
horsemen,  who  were  partly  riding  by  his  side,  partly  galloping 
on  in  advance  and  returning  again  to  the  rear,  while  sixty  slaves, 
wearing  red  jackets  over  their  shirts,  and  armed  with  match- 
locks, ran  in  front  of  and  behind  his  horse.  The  vizier,  who 
saw  me  first,  saluted  me  very  kindly,  and  sent  Hamza  Weled 
el  Goni  to  take  me  to  the  sheikh,  who  made  a  halt,  and  asked 
me  very  graciously  how  I  was  going  on,  and  how  my  excursion 
to  the  lake  had  amused  me.  Having  then  taken  notice  of  my 
sprightly  horse,  the  vizier  called  my  servant,  and  expressed  his 
regret  that  the  horse  which  they  had  presented  to  me  had  not 
proved  good,  saying  that  I  ought  to  have  informed  them,  when 
they  would  have  given  me  a  better  one.  I  promised  to  do  so 
another  time,  and  did  not  forget  the  warning. 

Wednesday^  May  Ith.  Mr.  Overweg  arrived.  The  way  in 
which  he  was  announced  to  me  was  so  singular  as  to  merit  de- 
scription. It  was  about  an  hour  before  noon,  and  I  was  busy 
collecting  some  interesting  information  from  my  friend  Ibrahim 
el  Futawi  about  Taganet,  when  suddenly  the  little  M'adi  arrived. 
This  lad,  a  liberated  slave,  had  been  Mr.  Eichardson's  servant, 
and  is  frequently  mentioned  in  that  gentleman's  journal.  As 
he  had  been  among  those  of  my  companion's  people  who,  to  my 
great  regret,  had  left  Kukawa  the  day  before  I  arrived  without 
having  their  claims  settled,  I  was  very  glad  when  he  came  back, 
but  could  not  learn  from  him  how  it  happened  that  he  returned ; 
when,  after  some  chat,  he  told  me,  incidentally,  that  the  tabib 
(Mr.  Overweg)  was  also  come,  and  was  waiting  for  me  in  Ka- 
lilwa.  Of  course  it  was  the  latter  who,  meeting  the  lad  on  the 
road,  had  brought  him  back,  and  had  sent  him  now  expressly 


80 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


to  inform  me  of  his  arrival.  This  dull  but  good-natured  lad, 
who  was  afterward  severely  wounded  in  the  service  of  the  mis- 
sion, is  now  Mr.  Vogel's  chief  servant. 

As  soon  as  I  fully  understood  the  purport  of  this  important 
message,  I  ordered  my  horse  to  be  saddled,  and  mounted.  The 
sun  was  extremely  powerful  just  about  noon,  shortly  before  the 
setting  in  of  the  rainy  season,  and  as  I  had  forgotten,  in  the 
hurry  and  excitement,  to  wind  a  turban  round  my  cap,  I  very 
nearly  suffered  a  sun-stroke.  A  traveler  can  not  be  too  care- 
ful of  his  head  in  these  countries. 

I  found  Overweg  in  the  shade  of  a  nebek-tree  near  Kalilwa. 
He  looked  greatly  fatigued  and  much  worse  than  when  I  left 
]iim,  four  months  ago,  at  Tasawa;  indeed,  as  he  told  me,  he  had 
been  very  sickly  in  Zi'nder — so  sickly  that  he  had  been  much 
afraid  lest  he  should  soon  follow  Mr.  Eichardson  to  the  grave. 
Perhaps  the  news  which  he  just  then  heard  of  our  companion's 
death  made  him  more  uneasy  about  his  own  illness.  However, 
we  were  glad  to  meet  him  alive,  and  expressed  our  hopes  to  be 
able  to  do  a  good  deal  for  the  exploration  of  these  countries. 
He  had  had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing,  during  his  stay  in 
Gober  and  Maradi,  the  interesting  struggle  going  on  between 
this  noblest  part  of  the  Hausa  nation  and  the  Fulbe,  who  threat- 
en their  political  as  well  as  religious  independence  ;*  and  he  was 
deeply  impressed  with  the  charming  scenes  of  unrestrained 
cheerful  life  which  he  had  witnessed  in  those  pagan  communi- 
ties ;  while  I,  for  my  part,  could  assure  him  that  my  reception 
in  Bornu  seemed  to  guarantee  success,  although,  under  existing 
circumstances,  there  seemed  to  be  very  little  hope  that  we  should 
ever  be  able  to  make  a  journey  all  round  the  Tsad ;  but  I  thought 
that,  with  the  assistance  of  those  people  in  Binder  and  Madu- 
wari  whom  I  had  just  visited,  and  who  appeared  to  be  on  friendly 
terms  with  the  islanders,  it  might  be  possible  to  explore  the 
navigable  part  of  the  lagoon  in  the  boat. 

*  Unfortunately,  Mr.  Overweg  made  no  report  on  this  his  excursion,  most 
probably  on  account  of  his  sickness  in  Zi'nder,  and  his  afterward  being  occupied 
with  other  things.  His  memoranda  are  in  such  a  state  that,  even  for  me,  it 
would  be  possible,  only- with  the  greatest  exertion,  to  make  any  thing  out  of 
them,  with  the  exception  of  names. 


PROPERTY  RESTORED. 


81 


Mr.  Overweg  was,  in  some  respects,  very  badly  off,  having 
no  clothes  with  him  but  those  which  he  actually  wore,  all  his 
luggage  being  still  in  Kano,  though  he  had  sent  two  men  to 
fetch  it.  I  was  therefore-  obliged  to  lend  him  my  own  things, 
and  he  took  up  his  quarters  in  another  part  of  our  house,  though 
it  was  rather  small  for  our  joint  establishment.  The  vizier  was 
very  glad  of  his  arrival,  and,  in  fulfillment  of  his  engagement  to 
deliver  all  the  things  left  by  Mr.  Eichardson*  as  soon  as  Mr. 
Overweg  should  arrive,  he  sent  all  the  half-empty  boxes  of  our 
late  companion  in  the  evening  of  the  next  day;  even  the  gun 
and  pistols,  and  the  other  things  which  had  been  sold,  were 
returned,  with  the  single  exception  of  Mr.  Kichardson's  watch, 
which,  as  the  sheikh  was  very  fond  of  it,  and  kept  it  near  him 
night  and  day,  I  thought  it  prudent  to  spare  him  the  mortifica- 
tion of  returning. 

Mr.  Overweg  and  I,  having  then  made  a  selection  from  the 
articles  that  remained  to  us,  presented  to  the  vizier,  on  the 
morning  of  the  ninth,  those  destined  for  him,  and  in  the  after- 
noon we  presented  the  sheikh  with  his  share.  These  presents 
could  not  be  now  expected  to  please  by  their  novelty,  or  to 
awaken  a  feeling  of  gratitude  in  the  receivers,  who  had  long 
been  in  possession  of  them  ;  but,  although  made  to  understand 
by  Mr.  Richardson's  interpreters  that  he  alone  had  been  author- 
ized by  the  British  government,  Mr.  Overweg  and  I  not  being 
empowered  to  interfere,  and  that  consequently  they  might  regard 
themselves  as  legitimate  possessors  of  our  deceased  companion's 
property,  they  must  yet  have  entertained  some  doubt  about  the 
equity  of  their  claim ;  and  as  soon  as  I  arrived,  and  began  to 
act  with  firmness,  they  grew  ashamed  of  having  listened  to 
intriguing  servants.  In  short,  though  we  had  put  them  to 
shame,  they  esteemed  us  all  the  better  for  our  firmness,  and 
received  their  presents  in  a  very  gracious  manner. 

We  now  spoke  also  about  the  treaty,  the  negotiation  of  which, 
we  said,  had  been  specially  intrusted  to  our  companion,  but  now, 
by  his  death,  had  devolved  on  us.     Both  of  them  assured  us 

*  A  complete  list  of  all  these  things  was  forwarded  to  the  government  at  the 
time. 

Vol.  II.— F 


82 


TRAVELS  IN  ATRICA. 


of  their  ardent  desire  to  open  commercial  intercourse  with  the 
English,  but  at  the  same  time  they  did  not  conceal  that  their 
principal  object  in  so  doing  was  to  obtain  fire-arms.  They  also 
expressed  their  desire  that  two  of  their  people  might  return  with 
us  to  England,  in  order  to  see  the  country  and  its  industry,  which 
we  told  them  we  were  convinced  would  be  most  agreeable  to  the 
British  government.  Our  conversation  was  so  unrestrained  and 
friendly  that  the  sheikh  himself  took  the  opportunity  of  excusing 
himself  for  having  appropriated  Mr.  Richardson's  watch. 

But  the  following  narrative  will  show  how  European  travel- 
ers, endeavoring  to  open  these  countries  to  European  intercourse, 
have  to  struggle  against  the  intrigues  of  the  Arabs,  who  are  well 
aware  that  as  soon  as  the  Europeans,  or  rather  the  English,  get 
access  to  Xegroland,  not  only  their  slave-trade,  but  even  their 
whole  commerce,  as  they  now  carry  it  on,  will  be  annihilated. 

We  had  scarcely  re-entered  our  house,  when,  the  rumor 
spreading  through  the  Arab  quarter  of  the  manner  in  which  we 
had  been  received,  and  of  the  matters  talked  of.  El  Khodr,  a 
native  of  Dar-Fur,  and  the  foremost  of  the  native  traders,  went 
to  the  sheikh  with  the  news  that  seven  large  vessels  of  the 
English  had  suddenly  amved  at  Xupe,  and  that  the  natives 
were  greatly  afraid  of  them.  This  announcement  was  soon 
found  to  be  false,  but  nevertheless  it  served  its  purpose,  to  cool 
a  little  the  friendly  and  benevolent  feeling  which  had  been  mani- 
fested toward  us. 

The  following  day  we  went  to  pitch  the  large  double  tent 
which  we  had  given  to  the  sheikh  on  the  open  area  before  his 
palace  in  the  eastern  town ;  and  having  fully  succeeded  in  ar- 
ranging it,  although  a  few  pieces  were  wanting,  it  was  left  the 
whole  day  in  its  place,  and  made  a  great  impression  upon  the 
people.  At  first  it  seemed  rather  awkward  to  the  natives,  whose 
tents,  even  if  of  large  size,  are  mere  bell-tents  ;  but  in  the  course 
of  time  it  pleased  the  sheikh  so  much,  that,  when  I  finally  left 
the  country,  he  begged  me  to  entreat  the  British  government 
to  send  him  another  one  like  it.* 

*  Such  a  tent  has  lately  been  sent  through  the  liberality  of  the  Earl  of  Clarendon, 
together  vnth  some  other  presents. 


THE  SHEIKH'S  RELATIVES. 


83 


AVe  also  paid  our  respects  to  the  principal  of  the  sheikh's 
brothers,  as  well  as  to  his  eldest  son.  Having  obtained  per- 
mission, we  visited  'Abd  e'  Eahman,  the  brother  and  rival  of 
the  sheikh,  as  we  could  not  prudently  be  wanting  in  civility  to 
a  person  who  might  soon  get  the  upper  hand.  We  presented 
him  with  a  fine  white  helali  bernus,  and  sundry  small  things ; 
he  received  us  very  graciously,  and  laughed  and  chatted  a  good 
deal  with  us  on  the  first  as  well  as  on  a  second  visit,  when  I 
was  obliged  to  show  him  the  pictures  in  Denham's  and  Clapper- 
ton's  work,  and  the  drawing  I  had  myself  made  of  his  friend, 
the  Kanemma  chief,  A^msakay,  of  which  he  had  heard  ;  but  his 
manners  did  not  please  us  very  much.  His  countenance  had  a 
very  wild  expression,  and  he  manifested  little  intelligence  or 
princely  demeanor,  wrangling  and  playing  the  whole  day  with 
his  slaves.  Besides,  we  were  obliged  to  be  cautious  in  our 
dealing  with  him ;  for  we  had  scarcely  made  his  acquaintance, 
when  he  sent  us  a  secret  message,  begging  for  poison,  with 
which  he  most  probably  wished  to  rid  himself  of  his  deadly 
enemy,  the  vizier.  Quite  a  different  man  was  Yusuf,  the 
sheikh's  second  brother,  with  whom,  during  my  last  stay  in 
Kukawa,  in  the  beginning  of  1855,  I  became  intimately  ac- 
quainted. He  was  a  learned  and  very  religious  man,  alwaj's 
reading,  and  with  a  very  acute  sense  of  justice ;  but  he  was  not 
a  man  of  business.  As  for  Bu-Bakr,  the  eldest  son  of  'Omar, 
who  now  unfortunately  seems  to  have  the  best  claim  to  the 
succession,  he  was  a  child,  devoid  of  intelligence  or  noble  feel- 
ings. Twice  was  I  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  his  father  to  make 
him  pay  me  for  some  articles  which  he  had  bought  of  me. 

The  much  desired  moment  of  my  departure  for  Adamawa 
drew  nearer  and  nearer.  The  delay  of  my  starting  on  this  un- 
dertaking, occasioned  by  the  late  arrival  of  ]Mr.  Overweg,  had 
been  attended  with  the  great  advantage  that,  meanwhile,  some 
messengers  of  the  governor  of  that  country  had  arrived,  in  whose 
company,  as  they  were  returning  immediately,  I  was  able  to  un- 
dertake the  journey  with  a  much  better  prospect  of  success. 
The  subject  of  their  message  was  that  KashcUa  'All  Ladan,  on 
his  late  predatory  incursion  into  the  ^larghi  country,  had  en- 


84 


TRAVELS  IN  APRICA. 


slaved  and  carried  away  inlialbitants  of  several  places  to  which 
the  Governor  of  Adamawa  laid  claim,  and  it  was  more  in  order 
to  establish  his  right  than  from  any  real  concern  in  the  fate  of 
these  unfortunate  creatures  that  he  was  pleased  to  lay  great 
stress  upon  the  case.  Indeed,  as  the  sequel  shows,  his  letter 
must  have  contained  some  rather  harsh  or  threatening  expres- 
sions, to  which  the  ruler  of  Bornu  was  not  inclined  to  give  way, 
though  he  yielded*  to  the  justice  of  the  specific  claim.  At  first 
these  messengers  from  Adamawa  were  to  he  my  only  compan- 
ions besides  my  own  servants,  and  on  the  21st  of  May  I  was 
officially  placed  under  their  protection,  in  tlie  house  of  the  sheikh, 
by  several  of  the  first  courtiers  or  kokanawa,  among  whom  w^ere 
the  old  Ibrahim  "VVaday,  the  friend  and  companion  of  Moham- 
med el  Kanemi  in  his  first  heroical  proceedings,  Shitima  Naser, 
Ilamza,  and  Kashella  'Ali ;  and  the  messengers  promised  to  see 
me  safe  to  their  country,  and  to  provide  for  my  safe  return. 
Ibrahima,  the  head  man  of  these  messengers,  who  were  all  of 

*  I  will  here  give  verbatim  a  few  extracts  of  my  dispatch  to  government,  dated 
Kukawa,  May  24,  1851,  from  which  it  will  be  seen  how  sure  I  was  already  at  that 
time  of  the  immense  importance  of  the  river  which  I  was  about  to  discover. 

^•My  Lord, — I  have  the  honor  to  inform  your  lordship  that,  on  Tuesday  next, 
I  am  to  start  for  Adamawa,  as  it  is  called  by  the  Felldtah  (Fullan),  or  Fumbinti, 
a  very  extensive  country,  whose  capital,  Yola,  is  distant  from  here  fifteen  days 
S.S.W.,  situated  on  a  very  considerable  river  called  Faro,  which,  joining  another 
river  not  less  considerable,  and  likewise  navigable,  called  Benuwe,  falls  into  the 
Kwara,  or  Niger,  at  a  place  between  Kakanda  and  Adda,  not  more  than  a  few 
days  distant  from  the  mouth  of  that  celebrated  river."  "My  undertaking  seem- 
ed to  me  the  more  worthy,  as  it  has  long  been  the  intention  of  the  government  to  ex- 
plore that  country ;  for  orders  had  been  given  to  the  Niger  expedition  to  turn 
aside,  if  possible,  from  the  course  of  that  river,  and  to  reach  Bornu  by  a  south- 
ern road,  which,  it  was  presumed,  might  be  effected  partly  or  entirely  by  water, 
&c.  As  for  my  part,  I  can  at  present  certify,  with  the  greatest  confidence,  that 
there  is  no  connection  whatever  between  those  two  rivers,  the  Chadda,  which  is  iden- 
tical with  the  Benuwe  on  the  one,  and  the  Shari,  the  principal  tributary  of  Lake 
Tsad,  on  the  other  side.  Nevertheless,  the  Faro  as  well  as  the  Benuwe  seem  to 
have  their  sources  to  the  E.  of  the  meridian  of  Kukawa;  and  the  river  formed 
by  these  two  branches  being  navigable  for  larger  boats  into  the  very  heart  of 
Adamawa,  there  will  be  a  great  facility  for  Europeans  to  enter  that  country  after  it 
shall  have  been  sufficiently  explored."  After  sjjcaking  of  the  northern  road  into 
the  interior  by  way  of  Bilma,  I  concluded  with  these  words : 

"By-and-by,  I  am  sure  a  southern  road  icill  be  opened  into  the  heart  of  Central 
Africa,  but  the  time  has  not  yet  come." 


/ 


PROPOSED  JOURNEY  SOUTPIWARD. 


85 


ratlier  inferior  rank,  was  not  such  a  man  as  I  wished  for ;  but, 
fortunately,  there  was  among  them  another  person  named  Mo- 
hammedu,  who,  although  himself  a  Pullo  by  descent,  had  more 
of  the  social  character  of  the  Hausa  race,  and  was  ready  to  grat- 
ify my  desire  for  information.  He  proved  most  useful  in  intro- 
ducing me  into  the  new  country  which  I  was  to  explore,  and 
would  have  been  of  immense  service  to  me  if  I  had  been  allow- 
ed to  make  any  stay  there. 

After  much  delay,  and  having  twice  taken  officialleave  of  the 
sheikh  in  full  state,  I  had  at  length  the  pleasure  of  seeing  our 
little  band  ready  for  starting  in  the  afternoon  of  Thursday,  the 
29th  May,  1851.  Rather  more,  I  think,  with  a  view  to  his  own 
interest  than  from  any  apprehension  on  my  account,  the  sheikh 
informed  me,  in  the  last  interview  which  I  had  with  him,  that 
he  would  send  an  officer  along  with  me.  This  move  puzzled 
me  from  the  beginning,  and  caused  me  some  misgiving;  and 
there  is  not  the  least  doubt,  as  the  sequel  will  show,  that  to  the 
company  of  this  officer  it  must  be  attributed  that  I  was  sent 
back  by  Mohammed  Lawl,  the  Governor  of  Adamawa,  without 
being  allowed  to  stay  any  time  in  the  country ;  but,  for  truth's 
sake,  I  must  admit  that  if  I  had  not  been  accompanied  by  this 
man  it  is  doubtful  whether  I  should  have  been  able  to  overcome 
the  very  great  difficulties  and  dangers  which  obstruct  this  road. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

SETTING   OUT   ON    MY   JOURNEY    TO    ADAM  AW  A. — THE  FLAT, 
SWAMPY  GROUNDS  OF  BoRNU. 

Thursday^  May  IWi, .  At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  I  left 
the  "  chinna  anumbe,"  the  southern  gate  of  Kukawa,  on  my 
adventurous  journey  to  Adamawa.  My  little  troop  was  not 
yet  all  collected;  for,  being  extremely  poor  at  the  time,  or 
rather  worse  than  poor,  as  I  had  nothing  but  considerable  debts, 
I  had  cherished  the  hope  that  I  should  be  able  to  carry  all  my 


86 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


luggage  on  one  camel ;  but  wlien  the  things  were  all  packed 
up — provisions,  cooking  utensils,  tent,  and  a  few  presents — I 
saw  that  the  one  weak  animal  which  I  had  was  not  enough, 
and  bought  another  of  Mr.  Overweg,  which  had  first  to  be 
fetched  from  the  pasture-ground.  I  therefore  left  two  servants 
and  my  old  experienced  Hausa  warrior,  the  M'allem  Katuri, 
whom,  as  I  have  stated  above,  I  had  expressly  hired  for  this 
journey,  behind  me  in  the  town,  in  order  to  follow  us  in  the 
niglit  with  the  other  camel. 

]\Ir.  Overweg,  attended  by  a  spirited  little  fellow  named  'Ali, 
a  native  of  Ghat,  who  had  brought  his  luggage  from  Kano,  ac- 
companied me.  But  the  most  conspicuous  person  in  our  troop 
was  Billama,*  the  officer  whom  the  sheikh  had  appointed  to  ac- 
company me,  a  tall,  handsome  Bornu  man,  mounted  on  a  most 
splendid  gray  horse  of  great  size  and  of  a  very  quick  pace.  He 
had  two  servants  with  him,  besides  a  man  of  JMala  Ibram,  like- 
wise mounted  on  horseback,  who  was  to  accompany  us  as  far 
as  the  Marghi  country.  The  messengers  from  Adamawa,  as 
we  proceeded  onward,  gradually  collected  together  from  the 
hamlets  about,  where  they  had  been  waiting  for  us,  and  the 
spearmen  among  them  saluted  me  by  raising  theu'  spears  just 
in  my  face,  and  beating  their  small,  round  hippopotamus  shields  ; 
I\Iohammedu  was  armed  with  a  sword  and  bow  and  arrows. 
They  had  not  been  treated  so  well  as,  with  reference  to  my  pros- 
pects, the  sheikh  ought  to  have  treated  them,  and  Ibrahima,  in- 
stead of  a  handsome  horse  which  was  promised  him,  had  re- 
ceived a  miserable  poor  mare,  quite  unfit  for  himself,  and  scarce- 
ly capable  of  carrying  his  little  son  and  his  small  provision- 
bag. 

As  soon  as  I  had  left  the  town  behind  me,  and  saw  that  I 
was  fairly  embarked  in  my  undertaking,  I  indulged  in  the  most 
pleasant  feelings.  I  had  been  cherishing  the  plan  of  penetrating 
into  those  unknown  countries  to  the  south  for  so  long  a  time 
that  I  felt  the  utmost  gratification  in  being  at  length  able  to  carry 
out  my  design.    At  that  time  I  even  cherished  the  hope  that  I 

"Billama"  properly  means  mayor,  from  "  billa,"  a  town ;  but  in  many  cases  it 
has  become  a  proper  name. 


THE  EOAD  SOUTHWARD. 


87 


might  succeed  in  reaching  Baya,  and  thus  extend  my  inquiries 
as  far  as  the  equator ;  but  my  first  design  was,  and  had  always 
been,  to  decide  by  ocular  evidence  the  question  with  regard  to 
the  direction  and  the  tributaries  of  the  gTeat  river  which  flowed 
through  the  country  in  the  south. 

Leaving  the  Ngornu  road  to  our  left,  we  reached  the  village 
Karba  at  sunset,  but  were  received  so  inhospitably  that,  after 
much  opposition  from  a  quarrelsome  old  woman,  we  took  up 
our  quarters,  not  inside,  but  outside  her  court-yard,  and  with 
difficulty  obtained  a  little  fire,  with  which  we  boiled  some  coffee, 
but  had  not  fire-wood  enough  for  cooking  a  supper,  so  that  we 
satisfied  our  appetite  with  cold  "  diggwa,"  a  sweetmeat  made 
of  meal,  honey,  and  butter.  The  inhabitants  of  the  villages  at 
no  great  distance  from  the  capital  are  generally  very  inhospita- 
ble ;  but  the  traveler  will  find  the  same  in  any  country. 

Friday,  May  At  an  early  hour  we  were  ready  to  re- 

sume our  march,  not  having  even  pitched  a  tent  during  the 
night.  The  morning  was  very  fine,  and,  in  comparison  with 
the  naked  and  bare  environs  of  the  capital,  the  country  seemed 
quite  pleasant  to  me,  although  the  flora  offered  scarcely  any 
thing  but  stunted  acacias  of  the  gawo  and  kindil  kind,  while 
dum-bush  and  the  Asclejnas  procera  formed  the  underwood, 
and  coarse  dry  grass,  full  of  "ngibbu,"  or  Pennisetum  distichum, 
covered  the  ground.  Now  and  then  a  fine  tamarind-tree  inter- 
rupted this  monotony  and  formed  a  landmark ;  indeed,  both  the 
well  which  we  passed  (Tamsuka-kori)  and  the  village  Tamsu- 
kwa  have  received  their  names  from  this  most  beautiful  and  use- 
ful tree,  which  in  Kanuri  is  called  tamsuku  or  temsuku. 

After  only  four  hours'  march  we  halted  near  the  village  Pirt- 
wa,  as  ]\Ir.  Overweg  was  now  to  return,  and  as  I  wished  my 
other  people  to  come  up.  Having  long  tried  in  vain  to  buy 
some  provisions  with  our  "  kungona"  or  shells,  Mr.  Overweg  at 
length  succeeded  in  purchasing  a  goat  with  his  servant's  shirt. 
This  article,  even  if  much  worn,  is  always  regarded  as  ready 
money  in  the  whole  of  Negroland,  and  as  long  as  a  man  has  a 
shirt  he  is  sure  not  to  starve.  Aftetward  the  inhabitants  of 
the  village  brought  us  several  bowls  of  "  birri,"  or  porridge  of 


88 


TRAVELS  IN  AiTJCA. 


Negro  corn,  and  we  employed  ourselves  in  drinking  coffee  and 
eating  till  it  was  time  for  i\Ir.  Overweg  to  depart,  when  we  sep- 
arated with  the  most  hearty  wishes  for  the  success  of  each  oth- 
er's enterprise ;  for  we  had  already  fully  discussed  his  under- 
taking to  navigate  the  lagoon  in  the  English  boat. 

We  then  started  at  a  later  hour,  and,  following  a  more  west- 
erly path,  took  up  our  night's  quarters  at  Dynnamari,  the  vil- 
lage of  Dynnama  or  xVmade.  Instead  of  this  most  westerly 
road,  my  people  had  taken  the  most  easterly,  and  we  at  length 
joined  them,  a  little  before  noon  of  the  following  day,  at  the  vil- 
lage U^lo  Kura,  which,  with  the  whole  district,  belongs  to  the 
"  ]\Iagira"  (the  mother  of  the  sheikh),  and  so  forms  a  distinct 
domain  called  "  J\Iagirari."  But  the  country  for  thirty  or  forty 
miles  round  Kukawa  is  intersected  by  so  many  paths  that  it  is 
very  difficult  for  parties  to  meet  if  the  place  of  rendezvous  has 
not  been  precisely  indicated.  The  country  hereabouts  at  this 
time  of  the  year  presents  a  most  dreary  appearance,  being  full 
of  those  shallow  hollows  of  deep  black  argillaceous  soil,  called 
"firki"'  by  the  Kanuri  and  "ghadir"  by  the  Arabs,  which  dur- 
ing the  rainy  season  form  large  ponds  of  water,  and  when  the 
rainy  season  draws  to  an  end  and  the  water  decreases,  afford  the 
most  excellent  soil  for  the  cultivation  of  the  "  masakwa,"  a  spe- 
cies of  holcus  {S,  cernuus),  which  constitutes  a  very  important 
article  of  cultivation  in  these  alluvial  lowlands  round  the  Tsad,  or 
even  for  wheat.  At  a  later  season,  after  the  grain  is  harvested, 
these  hollows,  being  sometimes  of  immense  extent,  and  quite 
bare  and  naked,  give  the  country  a  most  dismal  appearance. 
The  water  in  U^lo  Kura  was  extremely  disagreeable,  owing  to 
this  nature  of  the  ground. 

Continuing  our  march  in  the  afternoon,  after  the  heat  had  de- 
creased, we  passed,  after  about  four  miles,  the  first  encampment 
of  Shuwa,  or  beri  Shuwabe,  which  I  had  yet  seen  in  the  coun- 
try. Shuwa  is  a  generic  name,  denoting  all  the  Arabs  (or  rath- 
er eastern  Arabs)  settled  in  Bornu,  and  forming  a  component 
part  of  the  population  of  the  country ;  in  Bagirmi  they  are  call- 
ed Shiwa.  No  Arab  fr^m  the  coast  is  ever  denoted  by  this 
name,  but  liis  title  is  "Wasiri  or  Wasili.     This  native  Arab 


THE  SHU'WA. 


89 


population  appears  to  have  immigrated  from  the  east  at  a  very 
early  period,  although  at  present  we  have  no  direct  historical 
proof  of  the  presence  of  these  Arabs  in  Bornu  before  the  time 
of  Edris  Alawoma,*  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago. 

Of  the  migration  of  these  Arabs  from  the  east  there  can  not 
be  the  least  doubt.  They  have  advanced  gTadually  through 
the  eastern  part  of  Isegroland,  till  they  have  overspread  this 
country,  but  without  proceeding  farther  toward  the  west.  Their 
dialect  is  quite  different  from  the  ^laghrebi,  while  m  many  re- 
spects it  still  preserves  the  purity  and  eloquence  of  the  language 
of  Hijaz,  particularly  as  regards  the  final  vowels  in  the  conju- 
gation. Many  of  their  national  customs  also  still  point  to  their 
ancient  settlements,  as  we  shall  see  farther  on.  I  became  very 
intimate  with  these  people  at  a  later  period,  by  taking  into  my 
service  a  young  Shuwa  lad,  who  was  one  of  my  most  useful 
servants  on  my  journey  to  Timbuktu.  These  Shuwa  are  di- 
vided into  many  distinct  families  or  clans,  and  altogether  may 
form  in  Bornu  a  population  of  from  200,000  to  250,000  souls, 
being  able  to  bring  into  the  field  about  20,000  light  cavalry. 
3Iost  of  them  have  fixed  villages,  where  they  live  during  the 
rainy  season,  attending  the  labors  of  the  field,  wdiile  during  the 
remaining  part  of  the  year  they  wander  about  with  their  cattle. 
I  shall  say  more  about  them  in  the  course  of  my  proceedings, 
as  opportunity  occurs.  The  clan,  whose  encampment  or  beri 
we  passed  to-day,  are  generally  called  Karda  by  the  Bornu  peo- 
ple— I  can  not  say  why  ;t  while  their  indigenous  name,  "Ba- 
jaudi,"  seems  to  indicate  an  intermixture  with  the  Fulbe  or  Fel- 
lata,  with  whom  the  Shuwa  in  general  are  on  the  most  friendly 
terms,  and  may  often  be  confounded  with  them  on  account  of 
the  similarity  of  their  complexion  and  manners.  In  fact,  there 
is  no  doubt  that  it  was  the  Shuwa  who  prepared  and  facilitated 
the  settlement  of  the  Fulbe  or  Fellata  in  Bornu. 

We  took  up  our  quarters  for  the  night  in  one  of  the  four  clus- 
ters of  huts  which  form  the  village  Mungholo  Gezawa,  and  which, 

*  See  the  Chronological  Tables  in  the  Appendix, 

t  Karda  is  properly  the  name  of  that  division  of  the  jNIanga  which  is  settled 
in  the  province  of  Mashena. 


90 


TRAVELS  IN  ATRICA. 


by  the  neatness  and  cleanliness  of  its  yards  and  cottages,  did 
honor  to  its  lord,  the  Yizicr  of  Bornu.  It  was  here  that  I  first 
observed  several  small  pools  of  rain-water,  which  bore  testimo- 
ny to  the  greater  intensity  and  the  earlier  setting  in  of  the  rainy 
season  in  these  regions.  There  were  also  great  numbers  of 
water-fowl  seen  hereabouts. 

Sunday^  June  \st.  When  we  left  our  quarters  in  the  morn- 
ing we  hesitated  a  while  as  to  what  road  to  take,  whether  that 
by  "Mubiyo,"  or  that  by  *'U''da"  or  "  Wuda,"  but  at  length 
we  decided  for  the  latter.  The  country  exhibited  a  peculiar 
but  not  very  cheerful  character,  the  ground  consisting,  in  the 
beginning,  of  white  clay,  and  farther  on  of  a  soil  called  "garga" 
by  the  Kanuri  people,  and  now  and  then  quite  arid  and  barren, 
while  at  other  times  it  was  thicldy  overgrown  with  prickly  un- 
derwood, with  a  tamarind-tree  shooting  up  here  and  there.  We 
then  came  to  a  locality  covered  with  a  dense  forest,  which  at  a 
later  period  in  the  rainy  season  forms  one  continuous  swamp, 
but  at  present  was  dry,  with  the  exception  of  some  deep  hollows 
already  filled  with  water.  Here  we  found  some  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  district,  all  of  whom  are  Shuwa,  busy  in  forming 
watering-places  for  the  cattle  by  inclosing  circular  hollows  with 
low  dikes.  One  of  these  people  was  of  a  complexion  so  light 
as  to  astonish  me ;  indeed,  he  was  no  darker  than  my  hands 
and  face,  and  perhaps  even  a  shade  lighter ;  his  features  were 
those  of  the  Shuwa  in  general,  small  and  handsome,  his  figure 
slender.  The  general  size  of  these  Arabs  does  not  exceed  five 
feet  and  a  half,  but  they  look  much  taller  on  account  of  the  pe- 
culiar slenderness  of  their  fonns ;  for,  although  I  have  seen 
many  specimens  of  stout  Fulbe,  I  have  scarcely  ever  seen  one 
robust  Shuwa.  The  forest  w^as  enlivened  by  numberless  flocks 
of  wild  pigeons. 

W^e  then  emerged  into  a  more  open  country,  passing  several 
villages  of  a  mixed  population,  half  of  them  being  Shuwa,  the 
other  half  Kanuri.  All  their  huts  have  a  thatched  roof  of  a 
perfectly  spherical  shape,  quite  distinct  from  the  general  form 
of  huts  in  this  country,  the  top,  or  "kogi  ngimbe,"  being  en- 
tirely wanting.    One  of  these  villages,  called  Dasedisk,  is  well 


MAGA'  DISTRICT. 


91 


remembered  by  the  people  on  account  of  the  sheikh,  Mohammed 
el  Kanemi,  having  been  once  encamped  in  its  neighborhood. 
At  a  rather  early  hour  we  halted  for  the  heat  of  the  day  in  a 
village  called  Menoway,  where  an  old  decrepit  Shuwa  from 
U^da,  led  by  his  equally  aged  and  faithful  better  half,  came  to 
me  in  quest  of  medicine  for  his  infirmities.  To  my  great  vex- 
ation, a  contribution  of  several  fowls  was  laid  by  my  compan- 
ions upon  the  villagers  for  my  benefit,  and  I  had  to  console  an 
old  blind  man  who  stumbled  about  in  desperate  search  after  his 
cherished  hen.  There  was  a  numerous  herd  of  cattle  just  being 
watered  at  the  two  wells  of  the  village. 

Starting  again  in  the  afternoon,  we  reached  one  of  the  ham- 
lets forming  the  district  Maga  just  in  time  to  avoid  the  drench- 
ing of  a  violent  storm  which  broke  forth  in  the  evening.  But 
the  lanes  formed  by  the  fences  of  the  yards  were  so  narrow  that 
we  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  making  our  camels  pass  through 
them — an  inconvenience  which  the  traveler  experiences  very 
often  in  these  countries,  where  the  camel  is  not  the  indigenous 
and  ordinary  beast  of  burden.  The  well  here  was  nine  fathoms 
deep. 

Monday^  June  2d,  Starting  tolerably  early,  we  reached  after 
two  miles  an  extensive  f  irki,  the  black  boggy  soil  of  which,  now 
dry,  showed  a  great  many  footprints  of  the  giraffe.  This  I 
thought  remarkable  at  the  moment,  but  still  more  so  when,  in 
the  course  of  my  travels,  I  became  aware  how  very  rarely  this 
animal,  which  roams  over  the  extensive  and  thinly-inhabited 
plains  on  the  border  of  Negroland,  is  found  within  the  populous 
districts.  This  "  firki"  was  the  largest  I  had  yet  seen,  and  ex- 
ceeded three  miles  in  length.  Much  rain  had  already  fallen 
liereabouts ;  and  further  on,  near  a  full  pond,  we  observed  two 
wild  hogs  (gado),  male  (bi)  and  female  (kurguri),  running  one 
after  the  other.  This  also  was  a  new  sight  for  me,  as  hereto- 
fore I  had  scarcely  seen  a  single  specimen  of  this  animal  in  this 
part  of  the  world ;  but  afterward  I  found  that,  in  the  country 
between  this  and  Bagirmi,  this  animal  lives  in  immense  num- 
bers. We  here  overtook  a  small  troop  of  native  traders,  or 
"tugurchi,"  with  sumpter  oxen  laden  with  natron,  while  an- 


92 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Other  with  unloaded  beasts  was  just  returning  from  Uje.  A 
srood  deal  of  trade  is  carried  on  in  this  article  with  the  last- 
named  place. 

Having  gone  on  in  advance  of  the  camels  with  Billama  and 
3I'allem  Katuri,  I  waited  a  long  time  under  a  splendid  "  che- 
dia"  or  *'jeja"  (the  Hausa  name),  the  caoutchouc-tree,  indicat- 
ing the  site  of  a  large  town  of  the  Gamerghu,  called  ^luna  (which 
has  been  destroyed  by  the  Fulbe  or  Fellata),  expecting  our  peo- 
ple to  come  up,  as  we  intended  to  leave  the  direct  track,  and  go 
to  a  neighboring  village  wherein  to  spend  the  hot  hours  of  the 
day  ;  but,  as  they  delayed  too  long,  we  thought  we  might  give 
them  sufficient  indication  of  our  having  left  the  road  by  laying 
a  fresh  branch  across  it.  This  is  a  very  common  practice  in 
the  country ;  but  it  requires  attention  on  the  part  of  those  who 
follow,  and  may  sometimes  lead  to  confusion.  On  one  occa- 
sion, when  I  had,  in  like  manner,  gone  on  in  advance  of  my  peo- 
ple, a  second  party  of  horsemen,  who  had  likewise  left  their  peo- 
ple behind,  came  between  me  and  my  baggage-train,  and,  as 
they  were  pursuing  a  by-way,  they  laid  a  branch  across  the  chief 
road ;  my  people,  on  coming  up  to  the  branch,  thought  that  it 
was  laid  by  me,  and,  following  the  by-way,  caused  much  delay. 
Other  people  make  a  mark  with  a  spear.  I  and  my  horsemen 
went  to  the  village  and  lay  down  in  the  cool  shade  of  a  tama- 
rind-tree; but  we  soon  became  convinced  that  our  people  had 
not  paid  attention  to  the  mark.  With  difficulty  we  obtained 
something  to  eat  from  the  villagers. 

The  heat  had  been  very  oppressive  ;  and  we  had  just  mount- 
ed our  horses  when  a  storm  broke  out  in  the  south,  but  fortu- 
nately without  reaching  us.  Proceeding  at  a  swift  pace,  we  found 
our  people  encamped  in  a  village  called  Fbramri,  and,  having 
roused  them,  immediately  continued  our  march.  Beyond  this 
village  I  observed  the  first  cotton-field  occurring  on  this  road. 
The  country  was  thickly  inhabited,  and  gave  evidence  of  a  cer- 
tain degree  of  industry ;  in  the  village  Baslnrori  I  observed  a 
dyeing-place.  The  country  was  laid  out  in  corn-fields  of  con- 
siderable extent,  which  had  just  been  sown.  All  this  district 
then  belonged  to  Mestrema,  as  an  estate  in  fee ;  but  after  the 


UJE. 


93 


revolution  of  1854  this  man  was  disgraced  and  the  estate  taken 
from  him. 

I  had  ahready  felt  convinced  that  the  kuka,  or  Adansonia 
digitata^  is  one  of  the  commonest  trees  of  Xegroland ;  but  all 
the  numerous  specimens  which  I  had  hitherto  seen  of  this  colos- 
sal tree  were  leafless,  forming  rather  gloomy  and  unpleasant  ob- 
jects :  here,  however,  I  saw  it  for  the  first  time  adorned  witli 
leaves ;  and  though  the  foliage  seemed  to  bear  no  proportion  to 
the  colossal  size  of  the  boughs,  yet  the  tree  had  a  much  more 
cheerful  aspect.  We  took  up  our  quarters  for  the  night  in  Uje 
Maiduguri,  a  large  and  comfortable-looking  place,  such  as  I  had 
not  yet  met  with  since  I  left  Kukawa  ;  but  the  yard,  which  was 
assigned  to  us  by  the  slaves  of  Mestrema,  was  in  the  very  worst 
state,  and  I  was  obliged  to  pitch  my  tent.  However,  we  were 
hospitably  treated,  and  fowls  and  a  sheep,  as  well  as  birri,  were 
brought  to  us. 

We  had  now  reached  one  of  the  finest  districts  of  Bornu, 
which  is  collectively  called  Uje,  but  which  really  comprises  a 
great  many  places  of  considerable  size.  This  was  once  the  chief 
province  of  the  Gamerghu,  a  tribe  often  mentioned  in  the  his- 
tory of  Edris  Alawoma,*  and  who,  as  their  language  shows,  are 
closely  related  to  the  Wandala,  or,  as  they  are  generally  called, 
Mandara.f  This  tribe  has  at  present  lost  all  national  inde- 
pendence, while  its  brethren  in  ]\Iora  and  the  places  around,  pro- 
tected by  the  mountainous  character  of  the  country,  still  main- 
tain their  freedom  against  the  Kanuri  and  Fulbe,  but,  as  it 
seems,  will  soon  be  swallowed  up  by  the  latter.  While  the 
greater  part  of  the  Gamerghu  have  been  exteiTninated,  the  rest 
are  heavily  taxed,  although  the  tribute  which  they  have  to  de- 
liver to  the  sheikh  himself  consists  only  in  butter.  Every  large 
place  in  this  district  has  a  market  of  its  own ;  but  a  market  of 

very  considerable  importance  is  held  in  Uje,  and  is  from  this 

• 

*  See  Chronological  Tables. 

t  The  Mandara  people,  or  rather  Ur-wandala,  call  the  Gamerghu  Muks-amal- 
guwa,  which  I  think  is  a  nickname,  the  word  miikse  meaning  woman ;  but  the 
latter  part  of  the  name,  Amalguwa,  may  be  the  original  form  of  Gamerghu.  I 
had  no  opportunity  of  asking  the  people  themselves  about  their  original  name. 


94 


TRAVELS  IN  APRICA. 


circumstance  called  Uje  Kasukula — "  kasuku"  means  "the 
market."'  In  Uje  Maiduguri*  a  market  is  held  every  Wednes- 
day on  the  west  side  of  the  town,  where  a  small  quadrangular 
area  is  marked  out  with  several  rows  of  stalls  or  sheds.  The 
place  was  once  surrounded  by  an  earthen  wall,  the  circumfer- 
ence of  which  seems  to  show  its  greater  magnitude  in  former 
times. 

Escorted  by  a  troop  of  Mestrema's  idle  servants,  we  entered, 
on  the  following  morning,  the  fine,  open  country  which  stretch- 
es out  on  the  south  side  of  Maiduguri.  The  whole  plain  ap- 
peared to  be  one  continuous  corn-field,  interrupted  only  by  nu- 
merous villages,  and  shaded  here  and  there  by  single  monkey- 
bread-trees,  or  Adansonias,  and  various  species  of  fig-trees,  such 
as  the  ngabbore,  with  their  succulent,  dark-green  foliage,  and 
baure,  with  large,  fleshy  leaves  of  a  bright  green  color.  Since 
I  left  Kano  I  had  not  seen  so  fine  a  country.  The  plain  is 
traversed  by  a  large  fiumara  or  komadugu,  which  comes  from 
the  neighborhood  of  Alawo,  where  there  is  a  great  collection  of 
water,  and  reaches  the  Tsad  by  way  of  Dikowa,  JSTghala,  and 
Mbulu.  At  the  three  letter  places  I  have  crossed  it  myself  in 
the  course  of  my  travels  ;  and  between  Uje  and  Dikowa  it  has 
been  visited  by  Mr.  Vogel,  but  I  do  not  know  whether  he  is  able 
to  lay  down  its  course  with  accuracy. 

We  had  to  cross  the  water-course  twice  before  we  reached 
Mabani,  a  considerable  place  situated  on  a  broad,  sandy  hill,  at 
a  distance  of  little  more  than  four  miles  from  Maiduguri.  To 
my  great'  astonishment,  at  so  early  an  hour  in  the  morning,  my 
party  proceeded  to  take  up  quarters  here ;  but  the  reason  was 
that  the  messengers  from  A^damawa  had  to  inquire  hereabouts 
for  some  people,  who,  as  I  have  stated  before,  had  been  carried 
away  by  Kashella  'Ali.  However,  in  the  absence  of  the  billa- 
ma  or  head  man  of  the  town,  a  long  time  elapsed  before  we  could 
procure  quarters  ;  but  at  length  we  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  sort 
of  open  yard,  with  two  huts  and  two  stalls,  or  "fato  siggidibe,'' 
when  I  gave  up  the  huts  to  my  companions,  and  took  posses- 
sion of  the  best  of  the  stalls,  near  which  I  pitched  my  tent.  The 
*  Maiduguri  means  the  Place  of  the  Mai'dugu  or  nobleman. 


A  PLEASANT  EXCUKSION. 


95 


town  covers  not  only  the  whole  top  of  the  hill,  but,  descending 
its  southern  slope,  extends  along  its  foot  and  over  another  hill 
of  less  size.  It  may  contain  from  nine  to  ten  thousand  inhab- 
itants, and  seems  to  be  prosperous ;  indeed,  all  the  dwellings, 
despicable  as  they  may  appear  to  the  fastidious  European,  bear 
testimony  to  a  certain  degree  of  wealth,  and  few  people  here 
seem  destitute  of  the  necessaries  of  life.  Besides  agriculture, 
there  appears  to  be  a  good  deal  of  domestic  industry,  as  the 
market-place,  situated  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  hill,  and  con- 
sisting of  from  a  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  stalls,  and 
a  dyeing-place  close  by  it,  amply  testify.*  I  have  already  n>en- 
tioned  in  another  place  the  shirts  which  are  dyed  in  this  dis- 
trict, and  which  are  called  "  amaghdi." 

When  the  heat  had  abated  a  little  I  made  a  pleasant  ex- 
cursion on  horseback,  accompanied  by  Billama  and  Bu-S'ad, 
first  in  an  easterly  direction,  through  the  plain  to  a  neighboring 
village,  and  then  turning  northward  to  the  komadugu,  which 
forms  here  a  beautiful  sweep,  being  lined  on  the  north  side  by  a 
steep,  grassy  bank  adorned  with  fine  trees.  The  southern  shore 
was  laid  out  in  kitchen-gardens,  where,  a  little  farther  in  the 
season,  wheat  and  onions  are  grown.  In  the  bottom  of  the  fiu- 
mara  we  found  most  delicious  water  only  a  foot  and  a  half  be- 
neath the  surface  of  the  sand,  while  the  water  which  we  obtain- 
ed in  the  town,  and  which  was  taken  from  the  pools  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill,  was  foul  and  offensive.  These  pools  are  enlivened 
by  a  great  number  of  water-fowl,  chiefly  herons  and  flamingoes. 

The  forenoon  of  Wednesday,  also,  I  gave  up  to  the  solicita- 
tion of  my  A''damawa  companions,  and  usefully  employed  my 
time  in  writing  "bolide  Fulfulde,"  or  the  language  of  the  Fulbe, 
and  more  particularly  the  dialect  spoken  in  A'damawa,  which  is, 
indeed,  very  diflerent  from  the  Fulfulde  spoken  in  Gober  and 
Kebbi.    Meanwhile  old  M'allem  Katuri  was  bitten  by  a  scor- 

*  It  was  in  this  place,  as  I  have  ascertained  with  some  difficulty,  that  Mr.  Vo- 
gel  made  the  astronomical  observation  which  he  assigns  to  Uje,  whereas  Uje  is  an 
extensive  district.  He  has  made  a  similar  mistake  with  regard  to  his  observation 
at  Miiniyo  or  Minyo.  Unfortunately,  there  seems  to  be  a  mistake  or  slip  of  the 
pen  in  tlie  cipher  representing  the  longitude  of  the  place,  and  I  have  therefore 
not  been  able  to  make  use  of  it. 


96 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


pion,  and  I  had  to  dress  the  wound  with  a  few  drops  of  ammo- 
nia, for  which  he  was  very  grateful. 

In  the  afternoon  we  pursued  our  march ;  and  I  then  became 
aware  that  we  had  made  a  great  detow\  Maiduguri,  as  well  as 
Mabanl,  not  lying  on  the  direct  route.  We  had  been  joined  in 
the  latter  place  by  a  party  of  "  pilgrim  traders"  from  the  far- 
distant  ]\Iasena,  or,  as  in  European  maps  the  name  is  generally 
written,  ]\Iassina,  on  their  home-journey  from  ]\Iekka,  who  ex- 
cited much  interest  in  me.  The  chief  person  among  them  was 
a  native  of  Hamd-Allahi,*  the  capital  of  the  new  Pullo  kingdom 
of  ]\Ielle  or  Masena,  who  carried  with  him  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  books,  which  he  had  bought  in  the  East  more  for  the 
purposes  of  trade  than  for  his  own  use.  He  was  mounted  on 
a  camel,  but  had  also  a  pack-ox  laden  with  salt,  which  he  had 
been  told  he  might  dispose  of  to  great  advantage  in  A'damawa. 
Thus  pilgrims  are  always  trading  in  these  countries.  But  this 
poor  man  was  not  very  successful,  for  his  books  were  partly 
spoiled  in  crossing  the  River  Benuwe,  and  his  camel  died  during 
the  rainy  season  in  A^damawa.  However,  he  thence  continued 
his  journey  homeward,  while  his  four  companions  returned  east- 
ward and  met  with  me  once  more  in  Logon,  and  the  last  time 
on  the  banks  of  the  Shari.  Two  of  them  were  mounted  on  fine 
asses,  which  they  had  brought  with  them  from  Dar-Fur. 

Our  way  led  us  through  a  populous  and  fertile  country,  first 
along  the  meandering  course  of  the  komadugu,  which  was  here 
lined  with  ngabbore  or  ficus^  and  with  the  birgim  or  dina  (as  it 
is  called  in  Hausa),  a  tree  attaining  a  height  of  from  thirty  to 
forty  feet,  but  not  spreading  wide,  with  leaves  of  a  darkish  green, 
and  fruit  like  a  small  plum,  but  less  soft,  and  of  a  black  color, 
though  it  was  not  yet  ripe.  Here  I  was  greeted  by  the  cheer- 
ful sight  of  the  first  corn-crop  of  the  season  which  I  had  yet 
seen,  having  lately  sprung  up,  and  adorning  the  fields  with  its 
lively  fresh  green.    Rain  had  been  very  copious  hereabouts, 

*  This  is  the  only  form  of  the  name  actually  used  by  the  natives,  as  the  foun(i- 
ers  of  that  city  haA-e  not  taken  the  trouble  to  ask  scholars  if  that  was  grammat- 
ically right.  However,  there  is  a  small  village  of  the  name  of  Hamdu-lillahi,  as 
we  shall  see,  but  entirely  distinct  from  the  former. 


PA'LAMARI'. 


97 


and  several  large  pools  were  formed  along  the  komadugu,  in 
which  the  boys  of  the  neighboring  villages  were  catching  small 
fish  three  or  four  inches  long,  while  in  other  places  the  banks 
of  the  river  were  overgrown  with  beautifully-fresh  grass.  Hav- 
ing crossed  and  recrossed  the  gumara,  we  ascended  its  steep  left 
bank,  which  in  some  places  exhibited  regular  strata  of  sand- 
stone. Here  we  passed  a  little  dyeing-yard  of  two  or  three  pots, 
while  several  patches  of  indigo  were  seen  at  the  foot  of  the  bank, 
and  a  bustling  group  of  men  and  cattle  gathered  round  the  well. 
Villages  were  seen  lying  about  in  every  direction ;  and  single 
•  cottages,  scattered  about  here  and  there,  gave  evidence  of  a  sense 
of  security.  The  corn-fields  were  most  agreeably  broken  by 
tracts  covered  with  the  bushes  of  the  wild  gonda,  which  has  a 
most  delicious  fruit,  of  a  fine  cream-like  taste,  and  of  the  size 
of  a  peach,  a  great  part  of  which,  however,  is  occupied  by  the 
stone.  The  country  through  which  we  passed  was  so  interest- 
ing to  me,  and  my  conversation  with  my  Hausa  m'allem  about 
the  labors  of  the  field  so  animated,  that  we  made  a  good  stretch 
without  being  well  aware  of  it,  and  took  up  our  quarters  in  a 
place  called  Palamari*  when  it  was  already  dark.  However, 
our  evening  rest  passed  less  agreeably  than  our  afternoon's  ride, 
owing  to  a  violent  conjugal  quarrel  in  an  adjoining  cottage,  the 
voices  of  the  leading  pair  in  the  dispute  being  supported  by  the 
shrill  voices  of  village  gossips. 

Thursday^  June  6th.  In  riding  through  the  village  as  we 
set  out  in  the  morning,  I  observed  that  the  yards  were  unusual- 
ly spacious,  and  the  cottages  very  large ;  but  it  struck  me  that 
I  did  not  see  a  single  "bongo,"  or  hut  of  clay  walls,  and  I 
tliought  myself  justified  in  drawing  the  conclusion  that  the  in- 
habitants must  find  shelter  enough  under  their  light  thatched 
walls,  and  consequently  that  the  rainy  season  is  moderate  here. 

"VYe  had  scarcely  emerged  from  the  narrow  lanes  of  the  vil- 
lage when  I  was  gratified  with  the  first  sight  of  the  mountain- 
ous region :  it  was  Mount  Deladeba  or  Dalantuba,  which  ap- 
peared toward  the  south,  and  the  sight  of  which  filled  my  heart 

*  It  might  seem  that  the  name  should  rather  be  Billamari ;  but  that  is  not  the 
case.   I  do  not  know  the  meaning  of  "  palama," 

Vol.  II.— G 


98 


TRAVELS  m  AFRICA. 


with  joyous  anticipations,  not  unlike  those  with  which,  on  my  - 
first  wanderings  in  1840, 1  enjoyed  the  distant  view  of  the  Ty- 
rolean Alps  from  the  village  Semling,  near  Munich.  But  our 
march  was  but  a  pretense ;  we  had  not  been  a  full  hour  on  the 
road,  crossing  a  country  adorned  chiefly  with  the  bushes  of  the 
wild  gonda,  when  Billama  left  the  path  and  entered  the  village 
Fugo  Mozari.  The  reason  was  that  to-day  (Thursday)  the 
market  was  held  in  the  neighboring  Uje  Kasukula,  and  it  was 
essential  that  some  of  our  party  should  visit  or  (to  use  their 
expression)  "eat"  this  market. 

However,  I  did  not  stay  long  in  our  quarters,  which,  though  • 
comfortable,  were  rather  close,  and  of  an  extremely  labyrinthine 
character,  being  divided  into  several  small  yards  separated  from 
each  other  by  narrow  passages  inclosed  with  high  siggedi  mats. 
After  a  brief  delay  I  mounted  again  with  Billama  and  Bu-S'ad, 
and  after  two  miles  reached  the  market-town,  crossing  on  our 
path  a  shallow  branch  of  the  komadugu,  overgrown  with  suc- 
culent herbage,  and  exhibiting  a  scene  of  busy  life. 

The  market  was  already  well  attended,  and  answered  to  its 
fame.  As  it  is  held  every  Thursday  and  Sunday,  it  is  visited 
not  only  by  people  from  Kukawa,  but  also  from  Kano,*  for 
which  reason  European  as  well  as  Hausa  manufactures  are  oft- 
en cheaper  in  Uje  than  in  Kukawa.  This  we  found  to  be  the 
case  with  common  paper,  tre  lune."  The  articles  with  which 
the  market  is  provided  from  Kukawa  are  chiefly  natron  and 
salt ;  and  I  myself  bought  here  a  good  supply  of  this  latter  ar- 
ticle, as  it  has  a  great  value  in  A^damawa,  and  may  be  used  as 
well  for  buying  small  objects  as  for  presents.  Uje,  however, 
derives  also  great  importance  from  the  slave-trade,  situated  as 
it  is  on  the  border  of  several  pagan  tribes ;  and  I  have  often 
heard  it  said  that  in  the  neighborhood  of  Uje  a  husband  will 
sell  his  wife,  or  a  father  his  child,  when  in  want  of  money ;  but 
this  may  be  an  exaggeration.  It  is  true,  however,  that  slaves 
who  have  run  away  from  Kukawa  are  generally  to  be  found 

*  The  route  from  Kano  to  Uje  passes  by  Katagum,  from  hence  to  Mesaw,  five 
days;  from  hence  to  Giijeba,  eight  days;  and  from  hence  to  Uje,  five  days — at  a 
slow  rate. 


MARKET  OF  UJE'. 


99 


here.  There  might  be  from  five  to  six  thousand  customers ; 
but  there  would  be  many  more  if  any  security  were  guaranteed 
to  the  visitors  from  the  many  independent  tribes  who  are  living 
round  them,  especially  the  Marghi,  Babir,  and  Kerekere.  But, 
as  it  is,  I  did  not  see  a  single  individual  in  the  market  who 
by  his  dress  did  not  bear  testimony  to  his  Mohammedan  pro- 
fession. 

Making  several  times  the  round  of  the  market,  I  greatly  ex- 
cited the  astonishment  of  the  native  traders,  who  had  never  seen 
a  European.  I  then  started  with  Billama  on  an  excursion  to 
Alawo,  the  burial-place  of  the  great  Bornu  king  Edris  Alawoma^ 
although  the  weather  was  extremely  sultry,  and  the  sun  almost 
insupportable.  The  whole  country  is  densely  inhabited ;  and 
my  companion,  w^ho  had  formerly  been  governor  of  the  district.; 
was  every  where  kindly  saluted  by  the  inhabitants,  particularly 
the  women,  who  would  kneel  down  by  the  road  side  to  pay  him 
their  respects.  However,  I  was  prevented  from  seeing  the  sep- 
ulchre itself  by  an  immense  morass  extending  in  front  of  the 
town  of  Alawo,  and  the  turning  of  which  would  have  demanded 
a  great  circuit.  ^sTumberless  flocks  of  water-fowl  enlivened  it, 
wliile  rank  herbage  and  dense  forest  bordered  it  all  round. 

We  therefore  thought  it  better  to  return,  particularly  as  a 
storm  was  evidently  gathering ;  but  we  first  went  to  an  encamp- 
ment of  Shuwa,  where  we  found  a  numerous  family  engaged, 
under  the  shade  of  a  wide-spreading  ngabbore,  in  all  the  various 
occupations  of  household  work ;  but  we  were  very  inhospitably 
received  when  we  begged  for  something  to  drink.  I  shall  often 
have  occasion  to  mention  the  inhospitality  of  these  people,  whom 
I  was  sometimes  inclined  to  take  for  Jews  by  descent  rather 
than  real  Arabs.  Passing  then  the  village  Palamari,  and  keep- 
ing along  the  lovely  bed  of  the  fiumara,  bordered  by  fine  w^ide- 
spreading  trees,  and  richly  overgrown  with  succulent  grass, 
upon  which  numbers  of  horses  were  feeding,  we  reached  oui 
quarters  just  in  time ;  for,  shortly  afterward,  the  storm,  which 
had  been  hanging  in  the  air  the  whole  day,  and  had  made  the 
heat  about  noon  more  insupportable  than  I  ever  felt  it  in  my 
life,  came  down  with  considerable  violence.    The  consequence 


100 


TRAVELS  IX  AFRICA. 


Avas  that  I  was  driven  from  the  cool  shed  which  I  had  occupied 
in  the  morning  into  the  interior  of  a  hut,  where  flies  and  bugs 
molested  me  greatly.  The  sheds  or  stalls,  which  are  often 
made  with  great  care,  but  never  water-proof,  have  the  great  in- 
convenience in  the  rainy  season  that,  while  they  do  not  exclude 
the  rain,  they  retain  the  humidity,  and  at  the  same  time  shut  out 
the  air  from  the  huts  to  which  they  are  attached. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  we  obtained  the  important  news 
that  ]\Iohammed  Lowel,  the  governor  of  A^damawa,  had  returned 
from  his  expedition  against  the  Bana,  or  rather  Mbana,  a  tribe 
settled  ten  days'  march  northeastward  from  Yola,  but  at  less 
distance  from  Uje.  Billama  gave  me  much  interesting  informa- 
tion about  the  country  before  us,  chiefly  with  reference  to  Su- 
gur,  a  powerful  and  entirely  independent  pagan  chief  in  the 
mountains  south  from  Mandara.  AVith  regard  to  this  latter 
country,  I  perceived  more  clearly,  as  I  advanced,  what  a  small 
province  it  must  be,  comprehending  little  more  than  the  capital 
and  a  few  hamlets  lying  close  around.  There  came  to  me  also 
an  intelligent-looking  Pullo  merchant,  who  was  trading  between 
Kano  and  Uje  along  the  route  indicated  above  ;  but,  unluckily, 
he  did  not  call  on  me  until  sunset,  just  as  the  prayer  of  the  al- 
makarifu  was  approaching,  and  he  did  not  return  in  the  evening 
as  I  wished  him  to  do. 


CHAPTEH  XXXIII. 

THE  BORDER-COUNTRY  OF  THE  MARGHI. 

Friday^  June  Qth.  We  now  commenced  traveling  more  in 
earnest.  Ibrahima  had  been  busy  looking  after  his  master's 
subjects,  who  had  been  carried  away  into  slavery,  all  about  the 
\illages  in  the  neighborhood,  but  with  very  little  success.  Our 
road  passed  close  by  Uje  Kasukula,  which  to-day  looked  quite 
deserted,  and  then  tin'ough  a  populous  country  with  numerous 
villages  and  fine  pasture-grounds,  where  I  saw  the  plant  called 

walde"  by  the  Fulbe. 


THE  MOUNTAINS. 


101 


I  had  taken  great  pains  in  Kukawa,  while  gathering  informa- 
tion about  the  country  whither  I  was  going,  to  ascertain  from 
my  informants  whether  snow  ever  lies  there  on  the  tops  of  the 
mountains  or  not ;  but  I  could  never  get  at  the  truth,  none  of 
the  natives  whom  I  interrogated  having  ever  visited  North  Af- 
rica, so  as  to  be  able  to  identify  what  he  saw  on  the  tops  of  the 
mountains  in  his  country  with  the  snow  seen  in  the  north. 
A^hmedu  bel  Mejub,  indeed,  knew  the  Atlas,  and  had  seen  snow 
on  some  of  the  tops  of  that  range ;  but  he  had  paid  little  atten- 
tion to  the  subject,  and  did  not  think  himself  justified  in  decid- 
ing the  question.  Now  this  morning,  when  we  obtained  once 
more  a  sight  of  Mount  Dalantuba,  marking  out,  as  it  were,  the 
beginning  of  a  mountainous  region,  we  returned  again  to  the 
subject ;  and  all  that  my  companions  said  led  me  to  believe 
that  I  might  really  expect  to  see  snow  on  the  highest  mount- 
ains of  A^damawa.  But,  after  all,  I  was  mistaken,  for  they 
were  speaking  of  clouds.  Unfortunately,  Billama  had  taken  an- 
other path,  so  that  to-day  I  had  no  one  to  tell  me  the  names  of 
the  villages  which  we  passed.  Some  geographers  think  this  a 
matter  of  no  consequence ;  for  them,  it  is  enough  if  the  position 
of  the  chief  places  be  laid  down  by  exact  astronomical  observa- 
tion ;  but  to  me  the  general  character  of  a  country,  the  way  in 
which  the  population  is  settled,  and  the  nature  and  character  of 
those  settlements  themselves,  seem  to  form  some  of  the  chief 
and  most  useful  objects  of  a  journey  through  a  new  and  un- 
known country. 

Having  marched  for  more  than  two  hours  through  an  unin- 
terrupted scene  of  agriculture  and  dense  population,  we  entered 
a  wild  tract  covered  principally  with  the  beautiful  large  bush  of 
the  tsada,  the  fruit  of  which,  much  like  a  red  cherry,  has  a  pleas- 
ant acid  taste,  and  was  eaten  with  great  avidity,  not  only  by  my 
companions,  but  even  by  myself.  But  the  scene  of  man's  activ- 
ity soon  again  succeeded  to  this  narrow  border  of  wilderness ; 
and  a  little  before  we  came  to  the  village  Turbe,  which  was  sur- 
rounded by  open,  cultivated  country,  we  passed  a  luxuriant  tam- 
arind-tree, in  the  shade  of  which  a  blacksmith  had  established 
his  simple  workshop).    The  group  consisted  of  three  persons, 


102 


TKAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


the  master  heating  the  iron  in  the  fire,  a  boy  blowing  it  with  a 
small  pair  of  bellows,  or  "bubutu,"  and  a  lad  fixing  a  handle 
in  a  hatchet.  On  the  ground  near  them  lay  a  finished  spear. 
Eiding  up  to  salute  the  smith,  I  asked  him  whence  the  iron  was 
procured,  and  learned  that  it  was  brought  from  Madegele,  in 
Bubanjidda.  This  is  considered  as  the  best  iron  hereabouts; 
but  a  very  good  sort  of  iron  is  obtained  also  in  Mandara. 

We  halted  for  the  hot  hom*s  of  the  day  near  a  village  belong- 
ing to  the  district  Shamo,  which  originally  formed  part  of  the 
Marghi  country,  but  has  been  separated  from  it  and  annexed  to 
Bornu,  its  former  inhabitants  having  either  been  led  into  slavery 
or  converted  to  Islam — that  is  to  say,  taught  to  repeat  a  few 
Arabic  phrases,  without  understanding  a  word  of  them.  The  in- 
liabitants  of  the  village  brought  us  paste  of  Guinea-corn  and 
milk,  which,  mixed  together,  make  a  palatable  dish.  From  this 
place  onward,  ngaberi,  or  holcus,  prevails  almost  exclusively, 
and  argum  moro,  or  Pennisetwia  typlioideum^  becomes  rare. 

Some  native  traders,  armed  with  spears,  and  driving  before 
them  asses  laden  with  salt,  here  attached  themselves  to  our 
troop ;  for  tlie  road  farther  on  is  so  much  infested  by  robbers 
tliat  only  a  large  body  of  men  can  pass  it  with  safety.  The 
country  which  we  now  entered  bore  too  evident  proofs  of  the  un- 
fortunate condition  to  which  it  is  reduced,  forming  a  thick  forest, 
through  which,  nevertheless,  here  and  there,  the  traces  of  former 
cultivation  and  the  mouldering  remains  of  huts  are  to  be  seen. 
According  to  Billama,  as  late  as  a  few  years  ago  a  large  portion 
of  this  district  was  inhabited  by  Kanuri  and  Gamerghu,  the  lat- 
ter, most  probably,  having  taken  possession  of  the  lands  aban- 
doned by  the  Marghi ;  but  'Ali  Dendal,  who  has  ruled  it  for 
Abu  Bakr,  the  son  of  'Omar,  a  youth  without  intelligence,  and 
only  anxious  to  make  the  most  of  his  province,  has  ruined  it  by 
liis  rapacity  ;  he,  however,  was  soon  to  be  ruined  himself.  There 
was  a  small  spot  where  the  forest  had  been  cleared  away  for 
cultivation — a  proof  that  the  natives,  if  they  were  only  humanely 
treated  by  the  government,  would  not  be  wanting  in  exertion. 

The  forest  was  partly  filled  up  by  a  dense  jungle  of  reed-grass, 
of  such  a  height  as  to  cover  horse  and  rider.    The  soil  is  of  a 


YEKI'MARI'.— A  STORM. 


103 


black,  boggy,  argillaceous  nature,  and  full  of  holes,  which  make 
the  passage  through  this  tract  extremely  difficult  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  rainy  season.  My  companions  also  drew  my  atten- 
tion to  the  bee-hives  underground,  from  which  a  peculiar  kind 
of  honey  is  obtained,  which  I  shall  repeatedly  have  occasion  to 
mention  in  the  course  of  my  narrative. 

After  three  hours'  march  through  this  wild  and  unpleasant 
country,  we  reached  a  small  village  called  Yerimari,  which,  ac- 
cording to  Billama,  had  formerly  been  of  much  greater  size ;  at 
present  it  is  inhabited  by  a  few  Marghi  Mohammedan  prose- 
lytes. There  being  only  one  hut  in  the  yard  assigned  to  us,  I 
preferred  pitching  my  tent,  thinking  that  the  storm  which  had 
threatened  us  in  the  afternoon  had  passed  by,  as  the  clouds  had 
gone  westward.  However,  I  soon  learned  that,  in  tropical  climes, 
there  is  no  certainty  of  a  storm  having  passed  away,  the  clouds 
often  returning  from  the  opposite  quarter. 

We  had  already  retired  to  rest  when  the  tempest  burst  upon 
us  with  terrible  fury,  threatening  to  tear  my  weak  little  tent  to 
pieces.  Fortunately,  the  top-ropes  were  well  fastened ;  and, 
planting  myself  against  the  quarter  from  whence  the  wind  blew, 
I  succeeded  in  keeping  it  upright.  The  rain  came  down  in  tor- 
rents, and,  though  the  tent  excluded  it  tolerably  well  from  above, 
the  water  rushed  in  from  below  and  wetted  my  luggage.  But 
as  soon  as  it  fairly  begins  to  rain,  a  traveler  in  a  tolerable  tent 
is  safe,  for  then  the  heavy  gale  ceases.  Sitting  down  upon  my 
camp-stool,  I  quietly  awaited  the  end  of  the  storm,  when  I  be- 
took myself  to  the  hut,  where  I  found  IM'allem  Katuri  and  Bu- 
S'ad  comfortably  stretched. 

Saturday^  June  1th.  We  set  out  at  a  tolerably  early  hour, 
being  all  very  wet.  The  rain  had  been  so  heavy  that  the  la- 
bors of  the  field  could  be  deferred  no  longer ;  and  close  to  the 
village  we  saw  a  couple  sowing  their  little  field,  the  man  going 
on  in  advance,  and  making  holes  in  the  ground,  at  equal  dis- 
tances, Avith  a  hoe  of  about  five  feet  long  (the  "kiski  kullobe"), 
while  his  wife,  following  him,  threw  a  few  grains  of  seed  into  each 
hole.  These  people  certainly  had  nothing  to  lose ;  and  in  order 
not  to  risk  their  little  stock  of  seed,  they  had  waited  till  the 


104 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


ground  was  thoroughly  drenched,  while  some  people  commit 
their  grain  to  the  ground  at  the  very  setting  in  of  the  rainy  sea- 
son, and  risk  the  loss  of  it  if  the  rains  should  delay  too  long. 
After  we  had  passed  a  small  village  called  Kerikasama,  the  for- 
est became  very  thick ;  and  for  a  whole  hour  we  followed  the 
immense  footprints  of  an  elephant,  which  had  found  it  conven- 
ient to  keep  along  the  beaten  path,  to  the  great  annoyance  of 
the  succeeding  travelers,  who  had,  in  consequence,  to  stumble 
over  the  deep  holes  made  by  the  impression  of  its  feet. 

About  eleven  o'clock  we  reached  the  outskirts  of  ]\Iolghoy, 
having  passed,  half  an  hour  before,  a  number  of  round  holes, 
about  four  feet  wide  and  five  feet  deep,  made  intentionally,  just 
at  the  spot  where  the  path  was  hemmed  in  between  a  deep  fiu- 
mara  to  the  left  and  uneven  ground  to  the  right,  in  order  to 
keep  off  a  sudden  hostile  attack,  particularly  of  cavalry.  Mol- 
ghoy  is  the  name  of  a  district  rather  than  of  a  village ;  as  the 
pagan  countries  in  general  seem  to  be  inhabited,  not  in  distinct 
villages  and  towns,  where  the  dwellings  stand  closely  together, 
but  in  single  farms  and  hamlets,  or  clusters  of  huts,  each  of 
which  contains  an  entire  family,  spreading  over  a  wide  expanse 
of  country,  each  man's  fields  lying  close  around  his  dwelling. 
The  fields,  however,  of  Molghoy  had  a  very  sad  and  dismal  as- 
pect, although  they  were  shaded  and  beautifully  adorned  by 
numerous  karage-trees.  Though  the  rainy  season  had  long  set 
in,  none  of  these  fine  fields  were  sown  this  year,  but  still  pre- 
sented the  old  furrows  of  former  years  ;  and  all  around  was  si- 
lent and  inert,  bearing  evident  signs,  if  not  of  desolation,  at 
least  of  oppression. 

I  had  already  dismounted,  being  a  little  weak  and  fatigued 
after  my  last  sleepless  night's  uncomfortable  drenching,  hoping 
that  we  should  here  pass  the  heat  of  the  day  ;  but  there  seemed 
to  be  nothing  left  for  us  to  eat,  and  after  some  conversation 
with  a  solitary  inhabitant,  Billama  informed  me  that  we  were 
to  proceed  to  another  village,  which  likewise  belongs  to  ^lol- 
ghoy.  We  therefore  continued  our  march,  and  soon  after  en- 
tered a  dense  forest,  where  we  had  more  enjoyment  of  wild 
fruits,  principally  of  one  called  "foti,"  of  the  size  of  an  apricot. 


STRUCTURE  OF  THE  HUTS. 


105 


and  with  three  large  kernels,  the  pulp  of  which  was  very  pleas- 
ant. Behind  the  little  hamlet  Dala  Disowa  I  saw  the  first 
specimen  of  the  sacred  groves  of  the  Marghi — a  dense  part  of 
the  forest  surrounded  with  a  ditch,  where,  in  the  most  luxuri- 
ant and  widest-spreading  tree,  their  god  "Tumbi"is  worshiped. 

It  was  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  we  reached  the  vil- 
lage where  we  expected  to  find  quarters.  It  also  is  called  Mol- 
ghoy,  and  is  divided  into  two  groups  by  a  water-course  or  koma- 
dugu  (as  the  Kaniiri,  dille  as  the  ]\Iarghi  call  it)  about  twenty- 
five  yards  wide,  and  inclosed  by  steep  banks.  My  kashella, 
deprived  of  his  former  irresistible  authority,  was  now  reduced 
to  politeness  and  artifice ;  and  having  crossed  the  channel, 
which  at  present  retained  only  a  pool  of  stagnant  water,  and 
was  richly  overgrown  with  succulent  grass,  we  lay  down  on  its 
eastern  bank  in  the  cool  shade  of  some  luxuriant  kurna-trees, 
the  largest  trees  of  this  species  I  have  ever  seen,  where  we 
spread  all  our  luggage,  which  had  been  wetted  the  preceding 
night,  out  to  dry,  while  the  horses  were  grazing  upon  the  fresh 
herbage.  In  this  cool  and  pleasant  spot,  which  afforded  a  view 
over  a  great  part  of  the  village,  I  breakfasted  upon  "  cheb- 
chebe,"  a  light  and  palatable  Kanuri  sweetmeat,  and  upon 
"nufu,"  or  habb'  el  aziz,  dug  up  in  large  quantities  almost 
over  the  whole  of  Bomu. 

By-and-by,  as  another  storm  seemed  impending,  we  looked 
about  for  quarters,  and  I,  with  my  three  servants  and  ^Fallem 
Katuri,  took  possession  of  a  small  court-yard,  inclosed  with  a 
light  fence  four  feet  high,  composed  of  mats  and  thorny  bushes, 
which  contained  four  huts,  while  a  fifth,  together  with  the  gran- 
ary, had  fallen  in.  The  huts,  however,  were  rather  narrow,  in- 
cumbered as  they  were  with  a  great  deal  of  earthenware,  besides 
the  large  "gebam"  or  urn,  containing  the  necessary  quantity 
of  corn  for  about  a  week,  and  the  "  bazam*'  or  the  water-jar ; 
and  the  doors — if  doors  they  could  be  called — were  so  extreme- 
ly small,  while  they  were  raised  about  a  foot  from  the  ground, 
that  a  person  not  accustomed  to  the  task  had  the  greatest  diffi- 
culty to  creep  in.  These  narrow  doors  were  direct  proofs  of 
the  great  power  of  the  rains  in  these  climes,  against  which  the 


106 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


natives  have  to  protect  themselves,  as  well  as  the  raised  and 
well-plastered  floors  of  the  huts,  while  reed  is  still  the  prevalent 
and  almost  exclusive  material  for  the  whole  building.  As  for 
my  own  hut,  it  had  the  advantage  of  a  contrivance  to  render 
the  passage  of  the  opening  a  little  more  easy,  without  diminish- 
ing the  protection  against  the  inclemency  of  the  weather ;  for 
that  part  of  the  front  of  the  hut  which  intervened  between  the 
doorway  and  the  floor  of  the  hut  was  movable,  and  made  to  fold 
up.  Each  family  has  its  own  separate  court-yard,  which  forms 
a  little  cluster  of  huts  by  itself,  and  is  often  a  considerable  dis- 
tance from  the  next  yard.  This  kind  of  dwelling  has  certainly 
something  very  cheerful  and  pleasant  in  a  simple  and  peaceable 
state  of  society,  while  it  offers  also  the  great  advantage  of  pro- 
tecting the  villages  against  wholesale  conflagrations,  but  it  is 
liable  to  a  very  great  disadvantage  in  a  community  which  is 
threatened  continually  by  sudden  inroads  from  relentless  ene- 
mies and  slave-hunters. 

The  storm  luckily  passing  by,  I  walked  through  the  village, 
and  visited  several  court-yards.  The  inhabitants,  who,  at  least 
outwardly,  have  become  Mohammedans,  go  entirely  naked,  with 
the  exception  of  a  narrow  strip  of  leather,  which  they  pass  be- 
tween the  legs  and  fasten  round  their  waist ;  but  even  this  veiy 
simple  and  scanty  covering  they  seem  to  think  unnecessary  at 
times.  I  was  struck  by  the  beauty  and  symmetry  of  their 
forms,  which  were  thus  entirely  exposed  to  view,  and  by  the 
regularity  of  their  features,  which  are  not  disfigured  by  incis- 
ions, and  in  some  had  nothing  of  what  is  called  the  Xegro  type ; 
but  I  was  still  more  astonished  at  their  complexion,  which  was 
very  different  in  different  individuals,  being  in  some  of  a  glossy 
black,  and  in  others  of  a  light  copper,  or  rather  rhubarb  color, 
the  intermediate  shades  being  almost  entirely  wanting.  Al- 
though the  black  shade  seemicd  to  prevail,  I  arrived  at  the  con- 
clusion tliat  the  copper  color  was  the  original  complexion  of 
the  tribe,  the  black  shade  being  due  to  intermixture  with  sur- 
rounding nations.  But  the  same  variety  of  shades  has  been 
observed  in  many  other  tribes,  as  well  on  this  continent  as  in 
Asia. 


DEVIATIONS  FROM  NEGRO  TYPE. 


107 


Being  allowed  to  stray  about  at  my  leisure,  I  observed  in  one 
house  a  really  beautiful  female  in  the  prime  of  womanhood,  who, 
with  her  son,  a  boy  of  about  eight  or  nine  years  of  age,  formed 
a  most  charming  group,  well  worthy  of  the  hand  of  an  accom- 
plished artist.  The  boy's  form  did  not  yield  in  any  respect  to 
the  beautiful  symmetry  of  the  most  celebrated  Grecian  statues, 
as  that  of  the  praying  boy,  or  that  of  the  diskophoros.  His 
legs  and  arms  were  adorned  with  strings  of  iron  beads,  such  as 
I  shall  have  occasion  to  describe  more  distinctly  farther  on, 
made  in  Wandala,  which  are  generally  worn  by  young  people ; 
his  legs  were  as  straight  as  possible ;  his  hair,  indeed,  was  very 
short  and  curled,  but  not  woolly.  He,  as  well  as  his  mother 
and  the  whole  family,  were  of  a  pale  or  yellowish-red  complex- 
ion, like  rhubarb.  His  mother,  who  was  probably  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  was  a  little  disfigured  by  a  thin,  pointed  metal 
plate  about  an  inch  long,  of  the  figure  represented 
here,  which  was  stuck  through  her  under  lip.  This 
kind  of  barbarous  ornament  is  called,  in  the  language 
of  these  people,  "seghe^um,"  and  is  very  difterently 
shaped,  and  generally  much  smaller  than  that  worn  by 
this  woman ;  indeed,  it  is  often  a  mere  thin  tag.  It 
is  possible  that  its  size  varies  according  to  the  charac- 
ter of  the  females  by  whom  it  is  worn.  However  small  it  may 
be,  it  can  hardly  be  fastened  in  the  lip  without  being  very  in- 
convenient, and  even  painful,  at  least  at  first ;  at  any  rate,  it  is 
less  monstrous  than  the  large  bone  which  is  worn  by  the  j\Ius- 
gu  women  in  the  same  way.  These  simple  people  were  greatly 
amused  when  they  saw. me  take  so  much  interest  in  them ;  but, 
while  they  were  pleased  with  my  approval,  and  behaved  very 
decently,  they  grew  frightened  when  I  set  about  sketching 
them.  This  is  the  misfortune  of  the  traveler  in  these  regions, 
where  every  thing  is  new,  and  where  certainly  one  of  the  most 
interesting  points  attaches  to  the  character  of  the  natives — that 
ti>at-he  will  very  rarely  succeed  in  persuading  one  of  them  to 
stand  while  he  makes  an  accurate  drawing  of  him.  Tlie  men 
are  generally  tall,  and,  while  they  are  young,  rather  slender ; 
some  of  the  women  also  attain  a  great  height,  and  in  that  state, 


108 


TRAVELS  m  AFMCA. 


with  their  hanging  breasts,  form  frightful  objects  in  their  total 
nakedness,  especially  if  they  be  of  red  color. 

In  another  court-yard  I  saw  two  unmarried  young  girls  busy 
at  housework.  They  were  about  twelve  years  of  age,  and  were 
more  decently  clad,  wearing  an  apron  of  striped  cotton  round 
their  loins ;  but  this  was  evidently  a  result  of  Mohammedan- 
ism. These  also  were  of  copper  color,  and  their  short,  curled 
hair  was  dyed  of  the  same  hue  by  powdered  camwood  rubbed 
into  it.  They  wore  only  thin  tags  in  their  under  lips,  and 
strings  of  red  glass  beads  round  their  neck.  Their  features 
were  pleasing,  though  less  handsome  than  those  of  the  woman 
above  described.  They  w^ere  in  ecstasies  when  I  made  them 
some  little  presents,  and  did  not  know  how  to  thank  me  suffi- 
ciently. 

I  had  scarcely  returned  from  my  most  interesting  walk,  when 
the  inhabitants  of  the  neighboring  yards,  seeing  that  I  was  a 
good-natured  sort  of  man  who  took  great  interest  in  them,  and 
hearing  from  my  people  that,  in  some  respects,  I  was  like  them- 
selves, sent  me  a  large  pot  of  their  intoxicating  beverage  or 
"  komil,"  made  of  Guinea-corn,  which,  however,  I  could  not  en- 
joy, as  it  was  nothing  better  than  bad  muddy  beer.  Instead 
of  confusing  my  brains  with  such  a  beverage,  I  sat  down  and 
wrote  about  two  hundred  words  in  their  own  language,  which 
seemed  to  have  no  relation  to  any  of  the  languages  with  which 
I  had  as  yet  become  acquainted,  but  which,  as  I  found  after- 
ward, is  nearly  related  to,  or  rather  only  a  dialect  of  the  Batta 
language,  which  is  spread  over  a  large  part  of  A''damawa  or 
Fumbina,  and  has  many  points  of  connection  with  tlie  Musgu 
language,  while  in  certain  general  principles  it  approaches  the 
great  South  African  family.  Having  received,  besides  my 
home-made  supper  of  mohamsa,  several  bowls  of  "deifa"  or 
paste  of  Guinea-corn  from  the  natives,  I  had  a  long,  pleasant 
chat  in  the  evening  with  the  two  young  girls  whom  I  have  men- 
tioned above,  and  who  brought  two  fowls  for  sale,  but  were  so 
particular  in  their  bartering  that  the  bargain  was  not  conclud- 
ed for  full  two  hours,  when  I  at  length  succeeded  in  buying  the 
precious  objects  with  sheUs  or  kungona,  which  have  no  more  cur- 


THEIR  LANGUAGE. 


109 


rency  here  than  they  had  since  we  left  Kukawa,  but  which  these 
young  ladies  wanted  for  adorning  their  persons.  They  spoke 
Kanuri  with  me,  and  their  own  language  between  themselves  and 
with  some  other  women  who  joined  them  after  a  while.  In  vain 
I  tried  to  get  a  little  milk ;  although  the  inhabitants  in  general 
did  not  seem  to  be  so  badly  off,  yet  they  had  lost  all  their  horses 
and  cattle  by  the  exactions  of  the  Bornu  officers.  Indeed,  it  is 
really  lamentable  to  see  the  national  well-being  and  humble  hap- 
piness of  these  pagan  communities  trodden  down  so  mercilessly 
by  their  Mohammedan  neighbors.  The  tempest  which  had 
threatened  us  the  whole  afternoon  discharged  itself  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

Sunday^  June  ^th.  We  set  out  at  a  tolerably  early  hour  to 
pass  a  forest  of  considerable  extent.  In  the  beginning  it  was 
rather  light,  such  as  the  Kanuri  call  "  dirride,"  and  at  times  in- 
terrupted by  open  pasture-ground  covered  with  the  freshest 
herbage,  and  full  of  the  footprints  of  elephants  of  every  age 
and  size.  Pools  of  stagnant  water  were  seen  in  all  directions, 
and  flowers  filled  the  air  with  a  delicious  fragrance ;  but  the 
path,  being  full  of  holes  and  of  a  miry  consistence,  became  at 
times  extremely  difficult,  especially  for  the  camels.  As  for  our- 
selves, we  w^ere  well  off,  eating  now  and  then  some  Avild  fruit, 
and  either  sucking  out  the  pulp  of  the  "toso,"  or  devouring 
the  succulent  root  of  the  "katakirri." 

The  toso  is  the  fruit  of  the  JBassia  ParJcii^  called  kadeiia  by 
the  Hausa  people,  and  consists  almost  entirely  of  a  large  kernel 
of  the  color  and  size  of  a  chestnut,  which  is  covered  with  a  thin 
pulp  inside  the  green  peel :  this  pulp  has  a  very  agreeable  taste, 
but  is  so  thin  that  it  is  scarcely  worth  sucking  out.  The  tree 
in  question,  which  I  had  lost  sight  of  entirely  since  I  left  Hausa, 
is  very  common  hereabouts;  and  the  people  prepare  a  good  deal 
of  butter  from  the  kernel,  which  is  not  only  esteemed  for  season- 
ing their  food,  but  also  for  the  medicinal  qualities  ascribed  to  it, 
which  I  shall  repeatedly  have  occasion  to  mention.  As  for  the 
katakirri,  it  is  a  bulbous  root,  sometimes  of  the  size  of  a  large 
English  potato,  the  pulp  being  not  unlike  that  of  the  large  rad- 
ish, but  softer,  more  succulent,  and  also  very  refreshing  and  nu- 


110 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


tritioiis.  The  juice  has  a  milkj  color.  A  man  may  easily 
travel  for  a  whole  day  with  nothing  to  eat  but  this  root,  which 
seems  to  be  very  common  during  the  rainy  season  in  the  woody 
and  moist  districts  of  Central  Africa — at  least  as  far  as  I  had 
occasion  to  observe.  It  is  not  less  frequent  near  the  Niger  and 
in  Kebbi  than  it  is  here ;  but  I  never  observed  it  in  Bornu,  nor 
in  Bagirmi.  It  requires  but  little  experience  to  find  out  where 
the  bulbous  root  grows,  its  indication  above  ground  being  a 
single  blade  about  ten  inches  high ;  but  it  sometimes  requires  a 
good  deal  of  labor  to  dig  up  the  roots,  as  they  are  often  about  a 
foot  or  a  foot  and  a  half  under  ground. 

The  soil  gradually  became  worse ;  the  trees  were  of  a  most 
uniform  description,  being  all  mimosas,  and  all  alike  of  indiffer- 
ent growth,  while  only  here  and  there  a  large  leafless  Aclaiiso- 
nia  stretched  forth  its  gigantic  arms  as  if  bewailing  the  desola- 
tion spread  around,  where  human  beings  had  formerly  subsist- 
ed ;  for  the  kuka  or  baobab  likes  the  dwelling  of  the  Negro,  and 
he,  on  tlie  other  hand,  can  scarcely  live  without  it ;  for  how  could 
he  season  his  simple  food  without  the  baobab's  young  fresh 
leaves,  or  sweeten  and  flavor  his  drink  without  the  slightly  acid 
pulp  wherein  the  kernels  are  imbedded  ?  The  herbage  was  re- 
duced to  single  tufts  of  coarse  grass  four  or  five  feet  high ;  and 
the  path  became  abominable,  not  allowing  a  moment's  inatten- 
tion or  thoughtful  abstraction,  for  fear  of  being  thrown  off  the 
next  minute  into  a  swampy  hole. 

Thus  we  went  on  cheerlessly,  when  about  eleven  o'clock  the 
growth  of  the  trees  began  to  improve,  and  I  observed  a  tree, 
which  I  did  not  remember  to  have  seen  before,  of  middle  size, 
the  foliage  rather  thin,  and  of  light-green  color;  it  is  called  "ka- 
mandu"  in  Kanuri,  and  "  boshi"  in  Hausa.  The  country,  how- 
ever, does  not  exhibit  a  single  trace  of  habitation,  either  of  the 
past  or  present  time ;  and  on  our  right  no  village  was  said  to 
be  nearer  than  Dishik  at  the  distance  of  half  a  day's  journey, 
and  even  that  was  reported  to  be  now  deserted  by  its  inhabit- 
ants. At  length  the  monotonous  gloomy  forests  gave  way  to 
scattered  clusters  of  large  trees,  such  as  generally  indicate  the 
neighborhood  of  man's  industry ;  and  we  soon  after  emerged 


I'SGE  DISTRICT. 


Ill 


upon  beautiful  green  meadow-lands  stretching  out  to  the  very 
foot  of  the  Wandala  Mountains,  the  whole  range  of  which,  in 
its  entire  length  from  north  to  south,  lay  open  to  view.  It  waa 
a  charming  sight,  the  beautiful  green  of  the  plain  against  the 
dark  color  of  the  mountains  and  the  clear  sunny  sky ;  and  I 
afterward  regretted  deeply  that  I  had  not  made  a  slight  sketch 
of  the  country  from  this  spot,  as  near  the  village  the  same  wide 
horizon  was  no  longer  visible. 

It  was  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  we  reached  the  first 
cluster  of  huts  belonging  to  the  village  or  district  of  Fsge  or 
Pssege,  which  spread  to  a  considerable  extent  over  the  plain, 
while  horses  and  sheep  were  feeding  on  the  adjacent  pastures, 
and  women  were  cultivating  the  fields.  A  first  glance  at  this 
landscape  impressed  me  with  the  conviction  that  I  had  at  lengtli 
arrived  at  a  seat  of  the  indigenous  inhabitants,  which,  althougli 
it  had  evidently  felt  the  influence  of  its  overbearing  and  merci- 
less neighbors,  had  not  yet  been  altogether  despoiled  by  their 
hands.  Vigorous  and  tall  manly  figures,  girt  round  the  loins 
with  a  short  leathern  apron,  and  wearing,  besides  their  agricul- 
tural tools,  the  "  danisko"  (hand-bill),  or  a  spear,  were  proudly 
walking  about  or  comfortably  squatting  together  in  the  shade 
of  some  fine  tree,  and  seemed  to  intimate  that  this  ground  be- 
longed to  them,  and  that  the  foreigner,  whoever  he  might  be, 
ought  to  act  discreetly.  As  for  their  dress,  however,  I  almost 
suspected  that,  though  very  scanty,  it  was  put  on  only  for  the 
occasion ;  for,  on  arriving  at  the  first  cluster  of  huts,  we  came 
abruptly  upon  a  hollow  with  a  pond  of  water,  from  which  dart- 
ed fortli  a  very  tall  and  stout  bronze-colored  woman,  totally 
naked,  with  her  pitcher  upon  her  head,  not  only  to  my  own 
amazement,  but  even  to  that  of  my  horse,  w^hicb,  coming  from 
the  civilized  country  of  Bornu,  wliich  is  likewise  the  seat  of  one 
of  tlie  blackest  races  in  the  interior,  seemed  to  be  startled  by 
such  a  siglit.  However,  I  have  observed  that  many  of  those 
simple  tribes  deem  some  sort  of  covering,  however  scanty  it 
might  be,  more  essential  for  the  man  than  the  woman. 

We  first  directed  our  steps  toward  the  western  side  of  the 
village,  where,  in  a  denser  cluster  of  huts,  was  the  dwelling  of 


112 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


the  nominal  "  bi'llania,"  that  is  to  say,  of  a  man  who,  betraying 
his  native  country,  had  placed  himself  under  the  authority  of 
the  Bornu  people,  in  the  hope  that,  with  their  assistance,  he 
might  gratify  his  ambition  by  becoming  the  tyrant  of  his  com- 
patriots. Here  we  met  Ibrahima,  who,  with  his  countrymen, 
had  arrived  before  us.  Having  obtained  from  the  important 
billama  a  man  who  was  to  assign  us  quarters,  we  returned  over 
the  wide  grassy  plain  toward  the  eastern  group,  while  beyond 
the  quarter  which  we  were  leaving  I  observed  the  sacred  grove, 
of  considerable  circumference,  formed  by  magnificent  trees,  most- 
ly of  the  ficus  tribe,  and  surrounded  with  an  earthen  wall. 

At  length  we  reached  the  eastern  quarter ;  but  the  owners 
of  the  court-yards  w^iich  were  selected  for  our  quarters  did  not 
seem  at  all  inclined  to  receive  us.  I  had  cheerfully  entered 
with  Bu-S'ad  the  court-yard  assigned  to  me  in  order  to  take 
possession  of  it,  and  my  servant  had  already  dismounted,  when 
its  proprietor  rushed  furiously  in,  and,  raising  his  spear  in  a 
most  threatening  attitude,  ordered  me  to  leave  his  house  in- 
stantly. Acknowledging  the  justice  of  his  claims  to  his  own 
hearth,  I  did  not  hesitate  a  moment  to  obey  his  mandate ;  but 
I  had  some  difficulty  in  persuading  my  servant  to  go  away 
peaceably,  as  he  was  more  inclined  to  shoot  the  man.  This 
dwelling  in  particular  was  very  neatly  arranged ;  and  I  was 
well  able  to  sympathize  with  the  proprietor,  who  saw  that  his 
clean  yard  was  to  be  made  a  stable,  and  littered  with  dirt.  The 
yards  contained  from  five  to  seven  huts,  each  of  different  size 
and  arrangement,  besides  a  shed,  and  gave  plain  indications  of 
an  easy  and  comfortable  domestic  life. 

Billama,  that  is  to  say,  my  guide,  who  seemed  not  to  have 
been  more  fortunate  than  myself  in  his  endeavor  to  find  a  lodg- 
ing, being  rather  crestfallen  and  dejected,  we  thought  it  best  to 
give  up  all  idea  of  sheltered  quarters,  and,  trusting  to  our  good 
luck,  to  encamp  outside.  We  therefore  drew  back  altogether 
from  the  inhabited  quarter  into  the  open  meadow,  and  dismount- 
ed beneath  the  wide-spreading  shade  of  an  immense  kuka  or 
"bokki,"  at  least  eighty  feet  high,  the  foliage  of  which,  being 
interwoven  with  numbers  of  climbing  plants,  such  as  I  very 


DEGENERATE  FU'LBE. 


113 


rarely  observed  on  this  tree,  formed  a  most  magnificent  canopy. 
While  my  tent  was  being  pitched  here  a  number  of  natives  col- 
lected round  us,  and,  squatting  down  in  a  semicircle,  eyed  all 
my  things  very  attentively,  drawing  each  other's  attention  to 
objects  which  excited  their  curiosity.  They  were  all  armed ; 
and  as  there  were  from  thirty  to  forty,  and  hundreds  more 
might  have  come  to  their  assistance  in  a  moment,  their  company 
was  not  so  agreeable  as  under  other  circumstances  it  might  have 
been.  The  reason,  however,  why  they  behaved  so  inhospitably 
toward  me  evidently  was  that  they  took  me  for  an  officer  of  the 
King  of  Bornu ;  but  this  impression  gave  way  the  longer  they 
observed  my  manners  and  things ;  indeed,  as  soon  as  they  saw 
the  tent,  they  became  aware  that  it  was  not  a  tent  like  those  of 
their  enemies,  and  they  came  to  the  same  conclusion  with  re- 
gard to  the  greater  part  of  my  luggage.  In  many  places  in  Ne- 
groland  I  observed  that  the  bipartite  tent-pole  was  a  most  won- 
derful object  to  the  natives,  and  often  served  to  characterize  the 
Christian.  This  time,  however,  we  did  not  come  to  friendly 
terms ;  but  the  reader  will  be  gratified  to  see  how  differently 
these  people  treated  me  on  my  return  from  Fumbina. 

While  our  party  was  rather  quietly  and  sullenly  sitting  near 
the  tent,  a  number  of  Fulbe,  who  had  been  staying  in  this  dis- 
trict for  some  time,  came  to  pay  their  respects  to  me.  They 
were  a  very  diminutive  set  of  people,  and,  excepting  general 
traits  of  resemblance  and  language,  were  unlike  those  proud  fel- 
low-countrymen of  theirs  in  the  west ;  but  I  afterward  found 
that  the  Fulbe  in  the  eastern  part  of  A^damawa  are  generally 
of  this  description,  while  those  about  the  capital  have  a  far  more 
noble  and  dignified  appearance.  I  think  this  may  be  not  so 
much  a  mark  of  a  difference  of  tribe  as  a  consequence  of  the  low 
circumstances  of  those  settled  at  a  great  distance  from  the  seat 
of  government,  who,  being  still  engaged  in  struggling  for  their 
subsistence,  have  not  raised  themselves  from  their  original  con- 
dition of  humble  cattle-breeders,  or  "  berroroji,"  to  the  proud 
rank  of  conquerors  and  religious  reformers.  Their  color  cer- 
tainly was  not  the  characteristic  rhubarb-color  of  the  Futa-Pul- 
lo,  nor  the  deep  black  of  the  Torode,  but  was  a  grayish  sort  of 

YOL.  IL— H 


114 


TKAVELS  IN  ATRICA. 


black,  approaching  what  the  Frenchmen  call  the  chocolat  au  lait 
color,  while  their  small  features  wanted  the  expressiveness  whicli 
those  of  the  light  Pullo  generally  have.  They  all  wore  shirts, 
which,  however,  were  deficient  in  that  cleanliness  which  in  gen- 
eral is  characteristic  of  this  race.  These  simple  visitors  might 
perhaps  have  proved  very  interesting  companions  if  we  had  been 
able  to  understand  each  other ;  but,  as  they  spoke  neither  Ara- 
bic, nor  Hausa,  nor  Kanuri,  while  I  was  but  a  beginner  in  their 
language,  our  conversation  flowed  but  sluggishly. 

I  had  observed  in  all  the  dwellings  of  the  natives  a  very  large 
species  of  fish  laid  to  dry  on  the  roofs  of  the  huts ;  and  being 
not  a  little  astonished  at  the  existence  of  fish  of  such  a  size  in 
this  district,  where  I  was  not  aware  that  there  existed  any  con- 
siderable waters,  I  took  the  earliest  opportunity  of  inquiring 
whence  they  were  brought,  and  having  learned  that  a  consider- 
able lake  was  at  no  great  distance,  I  intimated  to  Billama  my 
wish  to  visit  it.  I  therefore  mounted  on  horseback  with  him 
in  the  afternoon,  and  then  passing  behind  the  eastern  quarter 
of  Fssege,  and  crossing  a  tract  covered  with  excellent  herbage, 
but  so  full  of  holes  and  crevices  that  the  horses  had  gi'eat  diffi- 
culty in  getting  over  it,  we  reached  a  fine  sheet  of  water  of  con- 
siderable depth,  stretching  from  east  to  west,  and  full  of  large 
fish.  All  along  the  way  we  were  met  by  natives  returning  from 
fishing,  with  their  nets  and  their  spoil.  The  fish  measure  gen- 
erally about  twenty  inches  in  length,  and  seem  to  be  of  the  same 
kind  as  that  caught  in  the  Tsad.  The  banks  of  the  water,  ex- 
cept on  the  west  side,  where  we  stood,  were  so  hemmed  in  with 
rushes  that  I  could  not  form  a  satisfactory  estimate  of  its  mag- 
nitude or  real  character ;  but  it  seems  to  be  a  hollow  which  is 
filled  by  the  rivulet  or  torrent  which  I  surveyed  in  its  upper 
course  the  following  day,  and  which  seems  to  pass  at  a  short 
distance  to  the  east  of  this  lake.  The  latter,  however,  is  said 
always  to  contain  water,  which,  as  far  as  I  know,  is  not  the  case 
with  the  river ;  but  certainly  even  the  lake  must  become  much 
shallower  in  the  dry  season. 

A  small  torrent  joins  the  lake  near  its  southwestern  corner, 
and  on  the  bank  of  this  torrent  I  observed  a  rounded  mass  of 


VIEW  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 


115 


granite  rising  to  the  height  of  about  fifteen  feet,  this  being  the 
only  eminence  in  the  whole  plain.  Though  it  was  not  elevated 
enough  to  allow  me  a  fair  survey  of  the  plain  itself,  it  afforded 
a  splendid  and  interesting  panorama  of  the  mountains. 

The  whole  range  of  mountains  which  forms  the  western  bar- 
rier of  the  little  country  of  Wandala  lay  open  before  me,  at  the 
distance  of  about  twenty  miles,  while  beyond  it,  toward  the 
south,  mountains  of  more  varied  shape  and  greater  elevation 
became  visible.  It  was  here  that  I  obtained  the  first  view  of 
Mount  Mendefi,  or  Mindif,  which,  since  it  was  seen  by  Major 
Denham  on  his  adventurous  expedition  against  some  of  the  Fel- 
lata  settlements  to  the  south  of  Mora,  has  become  so  celebrated 
in  Europe,  giving  rise  to  all  sorts  of  conjectures  and  theories. 
It  might,  indeed,  even  from  this  point,  be  supposed  to  be  the 
centre  of  a  considerable  mountain  mass,  surrounded  as  it  is  by 
several  other  summits  of  importance,  particularly  the  Meclnka 
and  Umshi,  while  it  is  in  reality  nothing  more  than  a  detached 
cone  starting  up  from  a  level  plain,  like  the  Mount  of  ]\Ibutudi 
on  a  smaller  scale,  or  that  of  Takabello,  with  both  of  which 
Ibrahima  used  to  compare  it,  or  the  Alantika  on  a  larger  scale. 
Its  circumference  at  the  base  certainly  does  not  exceed  proba- 
bly from  ten  to  twelve  miles,  as  it  is  partly  encompassed  by  the 
straggling  village  of  the  same  name,  which  seems  to  stretch  out 
to  a  considerable  length,  or  rather  to  be  separated  into  two  or 
three  distinct  clusters.  The  place  has  a  market  every  Friday 
which  is  of  some  importance. 

From  my  position  the  top  of  the  mount  presented  the  shape 
here  delineated ;  and  -even  through  the  telescope  the  Mindif,  as 


116 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


well  as  the  singular  mount  of  Kamalle,  of  which  I  shall  soon 
have  to  speak,  seemed  to  be  of  a  whitish  or  grayish  color,  which 
led  me  to  the  conclusion  that  it  consisted  of  a  calcareous  rock. 
It  was  not  till  a  much  later  period  that  I  learned  from  a  native 
of  the  village  of  Mindif  that  the  stone  was  originally  quite 
black,  not  only  on  the  surface,  but  all  through,  and  extremely 
hard,  and  that  the  white  color  is  merely  due  to  immense  num- 
bers of  birds  which  habitually  frequent  it,  being  nothing  else 
than  guano.  I  think,  therefore,  that  this  mount  will  eventually 
prove  to  be  a  basaltic  cone,  an  ancient  volcano — a  character 
which  seems  to  be  indicated  by  the  double  horn  of  its  summit. 
Its  height  scarcely  exceeds  five  thousand  feet  above  the  surface 
of  the  sea,  or  less  than  four  thousand  feet  above  the  plain  from 
which  it  rises. 

But  while  my  attention  was  engaged  by  this  mountain,  on 
account  of  its  having  been  so  much  talked  of  in  Europe,  another 
height  attracted  my  notice  much  more  on  account  of  its  peculiar 
shape.  This  was  Mount  Kamalle,  which  just  became  visible 
behind  the  continuous  mountain  chain  in  the  foreground,  like  a 
columnar  pile  rising  from  a  steep  cone.  It  likewise  seemed  of 
a  grayish  color.  Between  this  remarkable  peak  and  Mount 
Mindif  several  cones  were  descried  from  a  greater  distance, 
while  west  from  the  latter  mountain  the  elevated  region  seemed 
to  cease. 

The  highest  elevation  of  the  Wandala  range,  which  is  called 
Magar,  I  estimated  at  about  three  thousand  feet,  while  the  chain 
in  general  did  not  rise  more  than  two  thousand  five  hundred 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  or  about  one  thousand  five  hund- 
red feet  above  the  plain.  This  part  of  the  mountain  chahi 
forms  the  natural  stronghold  of  a  pagan  king  whom  my  Kanuri 
companion  constantly  called  "Mai  Sugur,"*  but  whose  proper 
name  or  title  seems  to  be  "  La." 

*  From  Fssege  to  Sugur  there  seem  to  be  two  roads,  the  shortest  of  which  is  a 
good  day  and  a  half's  march,  passing  the  night  in  a  place  called  Shambela  or 
Chambela,  first  going  E.,  then  more  S.  ;  the  other  road  following  a  general  di- 
rection S.E.,  and  going  in  shorter  stations,  first  to  Guliig,  a  pagan  settlement, 
which  I  shall  soon  have  to  mention,  situated  on  the  offshoots  of  the  mountain 
range,  then  keeping  on  the  mountains  to  Magar,  which  seems  to  be  the  highest 


THE  MARGHI'  TRIBE. 


117 


Overjoyed  at  having  at  length  reached  the  region  of  the  fa- 
mous Mindif,  and  full  of  plans  for  the  future,  I  remounted  my 
horse.  While  returning  to  our  encampment,  my  companion, 
who  was  altogether  a  sociable  and  agreeable  sort  of  person, 
gave  me  some  more  information  with  regard  to  the  Marghi, 
whom  he  represented  as  a  numerous  tribe,  stronger  even  at  the 
present  time  than  the  Manga,  and  capable  of  sending  thirty 
thousand  armed  men  into  the  field.  He  told  me  that  it  was 
their  peculiar  custom  to  mourn  for  the  death  of  a  young  man, 
and  to  make  merry  at  the  death  of  an  old  one  —  an  account 
which  I  found  afterward  confirmed,  while  his  statement  that 
they  buried  the  dead  in  an  upright  position,  together  with  their 
weapons,  furniture,  and  some  paste  of  Indian  corn,  did  not  prove 
quite  correct.  In  many  respects  they  claim  great  superiority 
over  their  neighbors  ;  and  they  practice,  even  to  a  great  extent, 
inoculation  for  small-pox,  which  in  Bornu  is  rather  the  excep- 
tion than  the  rule. 

Fortunately  for  us  in  our  out-of-doors  encampment,  the  sky 
remained  serene  ;  and  while,  after  a  very  frugal  supper,  we  were 
reclining  on  our  mats  in  the  cool  air  of  the  evening,  an  interest- 
ing and  animated  dispute  arose  between  Billama,  M'allem  Ka- 
turi,  and  Mohammedu,  the  A^damawa  messenger  whom  I  have 
represented  above  as  a  very  communicative,  sociable  person, 
about  the  water  of  I^ssege,  whence  it  came,  and  whither  it  flow- 
ed.    Mohammedu,  who,  notwithstanding  his  intelligence  and 

point  of  elevation,  and  from  hence  to  Sugiir.  Sugur  is  said  to  be  fortified  by 
nature,  there  being  only  four  entrances  between  the  rocky  ridges  which  surround 
it.  The  Prince  of  Sugur  overawes  all  the  petty  neighboring  chiefs ;  and  he  is 
said  to  possess  a  great  many  idols,  small  round  stones,  to  which  the  people  sacri- 
fice fowls  of  red,  black,  and  white  color,  and  sheep  with  a  red  line  on  the  back. 
The  road  from  Sug\lr  to  Mora  is  very  difficult  to  lay  down  from  hearsay  with  any 
approach  to  truth.  It  is  said  first  to  cross  a  very  difficult  passage  or  defile  called 
Lamaja,  beyond  a  mountain  of  great  elevation  inhabited  by  naked  pagans.  From 
hence,  in  another  moderate  march,  it  leads  to  Madagele,  in  the  territory  of  Ar- 
don  Jidda,  of  whom  I  shall  have  to  speak  in  the  progress  of  my  narrative.  From 
here  it  leads  to  Di'sa,  joins  there  the  road  coming  from  Uje,  and  the  next  day 
reaches  Mora,  This  evidently  seems  to  be  a  circuitous  way,  but  may  depend  on 
the  mountainous  character  or  the  unsafe  state  of  the  country.  Karawa,  the  cap- 
ital of  Wandala,  is  said  to  lie  about  fifteen  miles  west  from  Mora,  at  the  foot  of 
a  large  mountain  mass  called  Welle,  inhabited  by  pagans. 


118 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


sprightliness,  was  not  free  from  absurd  prejudices,  contended, 
with  the  utmost  pertinacity,  that  the  water  in  question  issued 
from  the  River  Benuwe  at  Kobere  and  ran  into  the  Shary,  a 
river  with  Avhich  he  was  acquainted  only  by  hearsay.  But  my 
prudent  and  experienced  old  m'allem  contested  this  point  suc- 
cessfully, demonstrating  that  the  river  rose  in  the  mountains  far 
to  the  north  of  the  Benuwe.  Thus  we  spent  the  evening  quite 
cheerfully ;  and  the  night  passed  without  any  accident,  all  the 
people  sleeping  in  a  close  circle  round  my  tent. 

Monday^  June  ^th.  At  an  early  hour  we  set  out  on  our  jour- 
ney, being  joined  by  several  of  the  Fulbe  who  had  come  the  day 
before  to  salute  me,  while  only  one  of  our  caravan  remained  be- 
hind, namely,  the  horseman  of  Mala  Ibram.  This  whole  dis- 
trict had  formerly  belonged  to  the  last-named  person ;  but  he 
had  lately  ceded  it  to  Abu-Bakr,  the  son  of  Sheikh  'Omar ;  but 
we  have  seen  what  a  precarious  possession  it  was.  The  coun- 
try through  which  we  passed  was  varied  and  fertile,  although 
the  sky  was  overcast ;  and  I  was  struck  with  the  frequency  of 
the  poisonous  euphorbia,  callsd  "karugu"  by  the  Kanuri.  Fur- 
ther on  the  crop  stood  already  a  foot  high,  and  formed  a  most 
pleasant  object.  We  then  entered  a  dense  forest,  where  the 
danger  became  considerable,  an  evident  proof  of  the  lawless  state 
of  this  country  being  seen  in  the  village  Yesa,  which  was  in  some 
degree  subject  ("imana,"  as  the  people  call  it,  with  an  Arabic 
name)  to  the  Sheikh  'Omar,  but  had  been  ransacked  and  burned 
about  forty  days  previously  by  the  tribe  of  the  Guldk.  It  was 
the  first  village  on  this  road  the  huts  of  wdiich  were  entirely  of 
the  construction  called  by  the  Kanuri  "bongo." 

Having  stopped  here  a  few  minutes  to  allow  the  people  to  re- 
cruit themselves,  we  pushed  on  with  speed,  and  soon  passed  the 
site  of  another  village,  which  had  been  destroyed  at  an  earlier 
period,  having  close  on  our  left  a  fertile  plain  in  a  wild  state, 
over  which  the  mountain  chain  was  still  visible,  with  a  glance 
now  and  then  at  the  Mindif  and  Kamalle.  Suddenly  there  was 
visible  on  this  side  a  river  from  thirty  to  forty  yards  broad,  and 
inclosed  by  banks  about  twelve  feet  high,  with  a  considerable 
body  of  water,  flowing  through  the  fine  but  desolate  plain  in  a 


UNSAFE  WILDERNESS. 


119 


northerly  direction,  but  with  a  very  winding  course  and  a  mod- 
erate current ;  and  it  henceforth  continued  on  our  side — some- 
times approaching,  at  others  receding,  and  affording  an  agreea- 
ble cool  draught,  instead  of  the  unwholesome  stagnant  water 
from  the  pools,  impregnated  with  vegetable  matter,  and  very 
often  full  of  worms,  and  forming  certainly  one  of  the  chief  causes 
of  disease  to  the  foreign  traveler.  In  this  part  of  the  forest  the 
karage  was  the  most  common  tree,  while  besides  it  there  was  a 
considerable  variety — the  toso  or  kadena,  the  korawa,  the  ka- 
buwi,  the  zindi,  and  the  acacia-like  paipaya;  the  fruit  of  the 
toso,  or  rather  its  thin  pulp,  and  the  beautiful  cream-fruit  of 
the  gonda-bush  {Aniiona  ^alitstris?)  remaining  our  favorite 
dainties. 

Suddenly  the  spirit  of  our  little  troop  was  roused  ;  some 
naked  pagans  were  discovered  in  the  bushes  near  the  stream, 
and  so  long  as  it  was  uncertain  whether  or  not  they  were  ac- 
companied by  a  greater  number,  my  companions  were  in  a  state 
of  fright ;  but  as  soon  as  it  was  ascertained  that  the  black  stran- 
gers were  but  few,  they  wanted  to  rush  upon  and  capture  them 
as  slaves;  but  Ibrahima,  with  a  dignified  air,  cried  out  "ima- 
na,  imana,"  intimating  that  the  tribe  was  paying  tribute  to  his 
master,  the  Governor  of  Yola ;  and,  whether  it  was  true  or  not, 
certainly  he  did  well  to  keep  these  vagabonds  from  preying  upon 
other  people  while  their  own  safety  was  in  danger. 

At  a  quarter  past  eleven  o'clock  we  reached  the  outskirts  of 
Kofa,  a  \'illage  which  had  been  ransacked  and  destroyed  entire- 
ly by  Kashella  'Ali,  the  very  act  which  had  given  rise  to  the 
complaints  on  the  side  of  the  Governor  of  A^damawa,  who  claim- 
ed the  supremacy  over  this  place.  Several  huts  had  been  al- 
ready built  up  again  very  neatly  of  bongo  ;  for  this  had  now  be- 
come the  general  mode  of  architecture,  giving  proof  of  our  ad- 
vancing into  the  heart  of  the  tropical  climes.  And  as  the  dwell- 
ings were  again  rising,  so  the  inhabitants  were  likewise  return- 
ing to  their  hearths. 

A  most  interesting  and  cheerful  incident  in  these  unfortunate 
and  distracted  lands,  where  the  traveler  has  every  day  to  ob- 
serve domestic  happiness  trodden  under  foot,  children  torn  from 


120 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


the  breasts  of  their  mothers,  and  wives  from  the  embraces  of 
their  husbands,  was  here  exhibited  before  us.  Among  the  peo- 
ple recovered  from  slavery  by  Ibrahima's  exertions  was  a  young- 
girl,  a  native  of  this  village,  who,  as  soon  as  she  recognized  the 
place  from  which  she  had  been  torn,  began  to  run  as  if  bewilder- 
ed, making  the  circuit  of  all  the  huts.  But  the  people  were  not 
all  so  fortunate  as  to  see  again  those  whom  they  had  lost ;  there 
were  many  sorrowful  countenances  among  those  who  inquired 
in  vain  for  their  sons  or  daughters.  However,  I  was  pleased  to 
find  that  Billama  was  saluted  in  a  friendly  way  by  the  few  in- 
habitants of  the  place,  proving,  as  I  thought,  that,  when  gov- 
ernor of  this  southernmost  district  of  Bornu,  he  had  not  behaved 
so  cruelly. 

The  country  hereabouts  showed  a  far  more  advanced  state 
of  vegetation  than  that  from  whence  we  had  come,  the  young- 
succulent  grass  reaching  to  the  height  of  a  foot  and  a  half,  while 
the  corn  (dawa,  or  holcus)  in  one  field  measured  already  thirty 
inches  in  height.  The  fresh  meadow  grounds  were  interspersed 
with  flowers  ;  and  a  beautiful  specimen  of  the  "kangel,"  meas- 
uring eight  inches  in  diameter,  was  brought  to  me  by  Billama, 
being  the  only  specimen  which  I  have  ever  observed  of  this  pe- 
culiar flower.  Mr.  Vogel,  however,  told  me  afterward  that  he 
had  occasionally  observed  it  in  Mandara  (Wandala). 

Having  dismounted  under  a  tamarind-tree  for  the  hot  hours 
of  the  day,  Billama,  with  the  assistance  of  my  old  m'allem,  gave 
me  a  list  of  some  of  the  larger  places  in  the  Marghi  country.* 
W.S.  W.  from  the  Marghi  live  the  Babur  or  Babir,  scattered  in 
small  hamlets  over  a  mountainous  basaltic  district,  with  the  ex- 

*  Kobchi,^  the  principal  place  of  the  country,  Molghoy,  I'ssege,  Kuyum,  situate 
iipon  the  longer  western  road  from  U'ba  to  I'ssege,  one  day's  march  from  the 
latter;  Musa,  about  one  day  from  Kuyiim,  Dille,  Womde,  Lahaula  (the  place  1 
was  soon  to  visit),  Cherari,  Shawa,  Mode,  Kirbet,  Kibak,  Nsuda,  Korade,  all  to- 
ward the  west  and  southwest ;  more  eastward  there  are  Moda,  Goram,  Lugu. 
Chambela  (the  village  I  mentioned  above),  Gulob,  Ju. 

*  This  place  is  already  mentioned  in  the  history  of  Edris  Alawoma,  where  it  is 
uTitten  Kofchi, /,  6,  and  p  being  frequently  interchanged  in  these  languages. 
The  name  seems  to  be  the  royal  title,  although  the  general  name  for  chief  or 
[irince  in  the  Marghi  language  is  "  ibtha." 


LAHA'ULA. 


121 


ception  of  their  principal  seat  Biyii,*  which  is  called  after  the 
name,  or  probably  rather  the  title,  of  their  chief.  This  place  is 
said  to  be  as  far  from  Kofa  as  Kukawa  is  from  the  same  place, 
and  is  reported  to  be  of  large  size.  The  Babur  have,  in  certain 
respects,  preserved  their  independence,  whiJe  in  others,  like  the 
Marghi',  they  have  begun  to  yield  to  the  overwhelming  influence 
of  their  Mohammedan  neighbors.  But  the  Marghi  claim  su- 
periority over  their  kinsmen  in  point  of  personal  courage ;  for 
of  their  relationship  there  can  be  no  doubt. 

When  the  sun  began  to  decline,  we  pursued  our  march  in  or- 
der to  reach  Lahaula,  where  we  were  to  pass  the  night.  The 
unsafe  state  of  the  country  through  which  we  w^ere  passing  was 
well  indicated  by  the  circumstance  that  even  the  circumspect 
Ibrahima  mounted  the  poor  mare  given  to  him  by  Sheikh  'Omar, 
which  he  spared  till  now.  He,  moreover,  exchanged  his  bow  for 
a  spear.  A  thick  tempest  was  gathering  on  the  Wandala  mount- 
ains while  our  motley  troop  wound  along  the  narrow  path — at 
times  through  forests  and  underwood,  at  others  through  fine 
corn-fields ;  but  the  country  afibrded  a  wilder  and  more  varied 
aspect  after  we  had  crossed  a  little  w^ater-course — rocks  project- 
ing on  all  sides,  sandstone  and  granite  being  intermixed,  while 
in  front  of  us  a  little  rocky  ridge,  thickly  overgrown  with  trees 
and  bushes,  stretched  out,  and  seemed  to  hem  in  our  passage. 
Suddenly,  however,  a  deep  recess  was  seen  opening  in  the  ridge, 
and  a  village  appeared,  lying  most  picturesquely  in  the  natural 
amphitheatre  thus  formed  by  the  rocks  and  trees  protruding  ev- 
ery where  from  among  the  granite  blocks,  and  giving  a  pleasant 
variety  to  the  whole  picture. 

This  was  Lahaula ;  but  we  had  some  difficulty  in  getting 
into  it,  the  entrance  to  the  amphitheatre  being  closed  by  a  strong 
stockade,  which  left  only  a  very  narrow  passage  along  the  cliffs 

*  Mr.  Ovenveg,  in  the  unfinished  journal  of  his  excursion  to  Fika,  a  place  in- 
teresting in  other  respects  as  well  as  on  account  of  its  date-grove,  mentions  four 
principal  places  of  the  Babir,  viz.,  Kogo  or  Koger,  Fadem,  Multa,  and  Gim.  He 
also  mentions,  as  the  three  most  powerful  chiefs  in  the  country,  Mai  Mari,  resid- 
ing in  Fadem,  Mai  Doigi'  (who  died  some  time  ago)  in  lira,  and  Mai  All,  who 
resides  in  Koger.  After  all,  Mai  Mari  seems  to  be  the  chief  man,  and  Fadem  to 
be  identical  with  Biyu. 


122 


TRAVELS  IN  AFKICA. 


on  the  eastern  side,  not  nearly  large  enough  for  camels ;  and 
while  our  troop,  pushing  forward  in  vain,  fell  into  great  confu- 
sion, the  storm  came  on,  and  the  rain  poured  down  upon  us  in 
torrents.  Fortunately,  the  shower,  although  heavy,  did  not  last 
long,  and  we  succeeded  at  length  in  getting  in,  and  soon  reach- 
ed the  first  huts  of  the  village ;  but  our  reception  was  not  pro- 
pitious. The  first  person  who  came  to  meet  us  w^as  a  mother, 
roused  by  the  hope  of  seeing  her  son  return  as  a  free  man  from 
Kukawa,  where  he  had  been  carried  into  slavery,  and  filling  the 
whole  village  with  her  lamentations  and  curses  of  the  Kanuri 
when  she  heard  that  her  beloved  had  not  come  back,  and  that 
she  should  never  see  him  again.  This,  of  course,  made  a  bad 
impression  upon  the  inhabitants ;  and  while  'Ashi,  their  chief, 
a  man  who,  after  an  unsuccessful  struggle  with  my  companion 
Billama,  when  governor  of  these  districts,  had  submitted  to  the 
sheikh,  received  us  with  kindness  and  benevolence,  his  son,  in 
whose  recently  and  neatly  built  hut  the  old  man  wished  to  lodge 
me,  raised  a  frightful  alarm,  and  at  length,  snatching  up  his  weap- 
on, ran  off  with  the  wildest  threats.  I  therefore  thought  it  best 
not  to  make  use  of  the  hut  unless  forced  by  another  storm,  and, 
notwithstanding  the  humidity,  I  took  up  my  quarters  under  a 
shed  before  the  hut,  spreading  my  carpet  and  jirbiye — woolen 
blanket  from  Jirbi — over  a  coarse  mat  of  reed,  as,  unfortunately, 
at  that  time  I  had  no  sort  of  couch  with  me. 

There  was  an  object  of  very  great  interest  in  our  court-yard. 
It  was  a  large  pole,  about  nine  feet  high  above  the  ground,  with 
a  small  cross-pole,  which  sustained  an  earthen  pot  of  middling- 
size.  This  was  a  *'safi,''  a  sort  of  fetish,  a  symbolic  represent- 
ation, as  it  seems,  of  their  god  "fete,"  the  sun.  It  was  a  pity 
that  we  were  not  placed  in  a  more  comfortable  position,  so  as  to 
be  enabled  to  make  further  inquiries  with  regard  to  this  subject. 

'Ashi  was  kind  enough  to  send  me  a  large  bow4  of  honey-wa- 
ter, but  I  was  the  only  one  of  the  caravan  who  receiv^ed  the 
least  proof  of  hospitality  ;  and  I  made  myself  quite  comfortable, 
though  we  thought  it  best  to  look  well  after  our  fire-arms.  Dur- 
ing the  night  we  were  alarmed  by  a  great  noise,  proceeding  from 
the  frightful  shrieks  of  a  man ;  and,  on  inquiry,  we  found  that 


SITUATION  OF  THE  VILLAGE. 


123 


he  had  been  disturbed  in  his  sleep  by  a  hyaena  catching  hold  of 
one  of  his  legs.  Ibrahi'ma  informed  us  the  next  morning  that  a 
very  large  party  among  the  inhabitants  had  entertained  the  de- 
sign of  falling  during  the  night  upon  our  troop  and  plundering 
us,  and  that  nothing  but  the  earnest  representations  of  'xlslii  had 
restrained  them  from  carrying  out  their  intention — the  old  man 
showing  them  how  imprudent  it  would  be,  by  one  and  the  same 
act,  to  draw  upon  themselves  the  vengeance  of  their  two  over- 
whelming neighbors,  the  Sheikh  of  Bornu  in  the  north,  and  the 
Governor  of  Fumbina  in  the  south.  Altogether  the  night  was 
not  very  tranquil ;  and  a  storm  breaking  out  at  some  distance, 
I  crept  into  the  hut ;  but  there  was  no  rain,  only  thunder  and 
lightning.  All  the  huts  here  are  provided  with  a  serir,  or  dig- 
gel,  made  of  branches,  upon  which  a  coarse  mat  of  reeds  is 
spread. 

The  village  seems  not  to  be  very  large,  containing  certainly 
not  more  than  about  five  hundred  single  huts,  but  the  situation 
is  very  advantageous,  enabling  the  inhabitants  in  an  instant  to 
retire  upon  the  natural  fortress  of  blocks  overhead.  They  pos- 
sess scarcely  a  single  cow,  but  seem  to  prepare  a  great  deal  of 
vegetable  butter.  At  least,  large  heaps  of  the  chestnut-like 
kernels  of  the  Bassia  Parka  were  lying  about  in  the  court- 
yards.   They  have  also  a  great  deal  of  excellent  honey. 

Tuesday,  June  IQth.  Leaving  our  quarters  early,  and  emerg- 
ing from  the  rocky  recess  by  the  same  opening  through  which 
we  had  entered  it  the  preceding  evening,  we  halted  a  short  time 
in  order  that  the  whole  caravan  might  form  closely  together,  for 
we  had  now  the  most  dangerous  day's  march  before  us,  where 
stragglers  are  generally  slain  or  carried  into  slavery  by  lurking- 
enemies.  Our  whole  troop  was  not  very  numerous,  consisting 
of  five  horsemen  and  about  twenty-five  armed  men  on  foot,  witli 
three  camels,  six  sumpter  oxen,  and  three  asses,  our  strength 
consisting  entirely  in  my  four  muskets  and  four  pairs  of  pis- 
tols. 

It  was  a  very  fine  morning,  and  after  the  last  night's  storm 
the  whole  country  teemed  with  freshness  and  life.  ^Moreover,  it 
was  of  a  varied  nature,  the  ground  consisting,  at  times,  of  bare 


124 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


granite,  with  large  blocks  of  quartz,  at  others  covered  with  black 
vegetable  soil,  with  ironstone  here  and  there,  and  torn  by  nu- 
merous small  periodical  water-courses  descending  from  the  rocky 
chain  on  our  right,  and  carrying  the  moisture  of  the  whole  re- 
gion toward  the  river,  which  still  flowed  on  the  left  of  our  track ; 
while  granite  blocks  and  small  ridges  projected  every  where,  the 
whole  clothed  with  forest  more  or  less  dense,  and  with  a  great 
variety  of  foliage.  Having  kept  on  through  this  kind  of  coun- 
try for  about  two  miles  and  a  half,  we  reached  the  deserted 
"ngaufate,"  or  encampment  of  Bu-Bakr,  a  brother  of  Moham- 
med Lowel,  the  Governor  of  A^damawa,  who  had  last  year  made 
an  expedition  into  these  districts,  and,  stationing  his  army  on 
this  spot,  had  overrun  the  country  in  all  directions.  The  en- 
campment consisted  of  small  round  huts  made  of  branches  and 
grass,  such  as  the  guro  caravan  generally  erects  daily  on  its 
"  zango"  or  halting-place.  Here  we  began  to  quicken  our  pace, 
as  we  were  now  at  the  shortest  distance  from  the  seats  of  the 
Baza,  a  powerful  and  independent  pagan  tribe,  with  a  language,  ^ 
or  probably  dialect,  of  their  own,  and  peculiar  customs,  v>^ho 
live  at  the  foot  of  the  eastern  mountain  chain,  while  we  left  on 
our  right  Kibak  and  some  other  Marghi  villages.  In  order  to 
lessen  a  little  the  fatigue  of  the  march,  my  attentive  companion 
Billama  brou^t  me  a  handful  of  "  gaude,"  a  yellow  fruit  of  the 
size  of  an  apricot,  with  a  very  thick  peel,  and,  instead  of  a  rich 
pulp,  five  large  kernels,  filling  almost  the  whole  interior,  but 
covered  \yith  a  thin  pulp  of  a  very  agreeable  taste,  something- 
like  the  gonda. 

At  half  past  nine,  when  the  forest  was  tolerably  clear,  we  ob- 
tained a  view  of  a  saddle  mount  at  some  distance  on  our  right, 
on  the  other  side  of  which,  as  I  was  informed,  the  village  Wom- 
de  is  situated  :  farther  westward  lies  U''gu,  and,  at  a  still  great- 
er distance,  Gaya.  Meanwhile,  we  pushed  on  with  such  haste 
— the  old  m'allem  and  Bu-S'ad,  on  horseback,  driving  my  two 
weak  camels  before  them  as  fast  as  they  could — that  the  line  of 
our  troop  became  entirely  broken ;  the  fataki  or  tugurchi,  with 
their  pack-oxen,  and  several  of  the  dangarunfu — namely,  the 
little  tradesmen  who  carry  their  small  parcels  of  merchandise  on 


THE  DIVIDING  RIDGE. 


125 


the  head — remaining  a  great  distance  behind ;  but,  although  I 
wished  several  times  to  halt,  I  could  not  persuade  my  compan- 
ions to  do  so ;  and  all  that  I  was  able  to  do  for  the  safety  of 
the  poor  people  who  had  trusted  themselves  to  my  protection 
was  to  send  BOlama  to  the  rear  with  orders  to  bring  up  the 
stragglers.  I  shall  never  forget  the  euphonious  words  of  the 
old  m'allem,  with  which  he,  though  usually  so  humane,  parried 
my  entreaties  to  give  the  people  time  to  come  up  ;  mixing  Hau- 
sa  with  Kanuri,  he  kept  exclaiming,  "  Awennan  karaga  babu 
dadi"  This  is  by  no  means  a  pleasant  forest"),  while  he  con- 
tinued beating  my  poor  camels  with  his  large  shield  of  antelope's 
hide.  At  length,  having  entered  a  very  dense  thicket,  where 
there  was  a  pond  of  water,  we  halted  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
when  Billama  came  up  with  the  rear,  bringing  me,  at  the  same 
time,  a  splendid  little  gonda  fruit,  which  he  knew  I  was  partic- 
ularly fond  of. 

Continuing  then  our  march  with  our  wonted  expedition,  we 
reached,  a  little  before  one  o'clock,  cultivated  fields,  where  the 
slaves — "  field-hands,"  as  an  American  would  say — of  the  peo- 
ple of  U^ba  were  just  resting  from  their  labor  in  the  shade  of 
the  trees.  As  the  slaves  of  ]\Iohammedans,  they  all  wore  the 
leathern  apron.  Here  we  began  to  ascend,  having  a  small  rocky 
eminence  on  our  right,  and  a  more  considerable  one  on  our  left, 
while  in  the  distance,  to  the  west,  various  mountain  groups  be- 
came visible.  This  line  of  elevation  might  seem  to  form  the 
water  partition  between  the  basin  of  the  Tsad  and  that  of  the 
Great  Kiver  of  Western  Africa,  but  I  am  not  sure  of  it,  as  I 
did  not  become  distinctly  aware  of  the  relation  of  the  rivulet  of 
Mubi  to  that  of  Baza. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  this  point  of  the  route  probably  attains  an 
elevation  of  about  2000  feet,  supposing  that  we  had  ascended 
about  800  feet  from  Uje,  the  elevation  of  which  is  1200  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Having  then  crossed,  with  some 
difficulty  on  the  part  of  the  camels,  a  rugged  defile,  inclosed  by 
large  granite  blocks,  we  began  to  descend  considerably,  while 
Mohammedu  drew  my  attention  to  the  tree  called  "  bijage"  in 
Fulfulde,  which  grows  between  the  granite  blocks,  and  from 


126 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


which  the  people  of  Fumbina  prepare  the  poison  for  their  ar- 
rows. However,  I  was  not  near  enough  to  give  even  the  most 
general  account  of  it ;  it  seemed  to  be  a  bush  of  from  ten  to 
twelve  feet  in  height,  with  tolerably  large  leaves  of  an  olive 
color. 

Emerging  from  this  rocky  passage,  we  began  gradually  to 
overlook  the  large  valley  stretching  out  to  the  foot  of  the  oppo- 
site mountain  chain,  which  seemed  from  this  place  to  be  unin- 
terrupted. Its  general  elevation  appeared  to  be  about  800  feet 
above  the  bottom  of  the  valley.  We  then  again  entered  upon 
cultivated  ground,  and  turning  round  the  spur  of  the  rocky  chain 
on  our  right,  on  the  top  of  which  we  observed  the  huts  of  the 
pagans,  we  reached  the  wall  of  U^ba  at  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. 

The  eastern  quarter  of  this  town,  the  northernmost  PuUo  set- 
tlement in  A^damawa  on  this  side,  consisting  of  a  few  huts  scat- 
tered over  a  wide  space,  has  quite  the  character  of  a  new  and 
cheerless  colony  in  Algeria ;  the  earthen  wall  is  low,  and 
strengthened  with  a  double  fence  of  thorn  bushes.  The  west- 
em  quarter,  however,  is  more  thickly  and  comfortably  inhabit- 
ed ;  and  each  cluster  of  huts,  which  all  consist  of  bongo,  or 
rather  bukka  bongo,  "  jwarubokaru,"  is  surrounded  with  a  little 
corn-field.  It  w^as  pleasant  to  observe  how  the  fences  of  mats, 
surrounding  the  yards,  had  been  strengthened  and  enlivened  by 
young,  living  trees  of  a  graceful,  slender  appearance,  instead  of 
dull  stalks,  giving  to  the  whole  a  much  more  cheerful  character 
than  is  generally  the  case  with  the  villages  in  other  parts  of 
Negroland,  particularly  in  Bornu  Proper,  and  promising  in  a 
short  time  to  afford  some  cool  shade,  which  is  rather  wanting 
in  the  place.* 

Passing  the  mosque,  the  "  judirde,"  a  spacious  quadrangular 
building,  consisting  entirely  of  halls  built  of  mats  and  stalks, 
which  must  be  delightfully  cool  in  the  dry  season,  but  extreme- 
ly damp  during  the  rains,  and  including  a  large  open  space,  we 
reached  the  lamorde  (the  house  of  the  governor,  or  lamido) ;  it 

*  The  nature  of  these  trees  may  be  seen  from  the  fence  of  the  yard  in  the  view 
of  Demsa. 


ADAMA'WA. 


127 


lies  on  one  side  of  a  small  square  or  "belbel."  Billama  and 
Bu-S'ad  having  here  fired  a  couple  of  rounds,  we  were  soon 
shown  into  our  quarters.  These  were  of  rather  an  indifferent 
description,  but,  lying  at  the  northern  border  of  the  inhabited 
quarter,  and  not  far  fi'om  the  foot  of  the  rocky  ridge,  they  had 
the  advantage  of  allowing:  us  freedom  of  movement. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

aDAMaWA.  —  MOHAIMMEDAN   SETTLEMENTS  IX  THE  HEART  OF 
CENTRAL  AFEICA. 

We  had  now  reached  the  border  of  A^damawa,  the  country 
after  which  I  had  been  panting  so  long,  and  of  which  I  had  heard 
so  many  interesting  accounts,  a  Mohammedan  kingdom  ingraft- 
ed upon  a  mixed  stock  of  pagan  tribes — the  conquest  of  the 
valorous  and  fanatic  PuUo  chieftain  A^dama  over  the  great  pagan 
kingdom  of  Fumbina. 

I  was  musing  over  the  fate  of  the  native  races  of  this  country 
when  the  governor,  with  a  numerous  suite,  came  to  pay  me  a 
visit.  Neither  he  nor  any  of  his  companions  were  dressed  with 
any  degree  of  elegance  or  even  cleanliness.  I  had  endeavored 
in  vain  to  obtain  information  from  my  companions  as  to  the  pe- 
riod when  the  Fulbe  had  begun  to  emigrate  into  this  country, 
but  they  were  unable  to  give  me  any  other  answer  than  that 
they  had  been  settled  in  the  country  from  very  ancient  times, 
and  that  not  only  the  fathers,  but  even  the  grandfathers  of  the 
present  generation  had  inhabited  the  same  region  as  cattle- 
breeders,  "berroroji."  Neither  the  governor  nor  any  of  his  peo- 
ple were  able  to  give  me  any  more  precise  information,  so  that 
I  was  obliged  to  set  my  hopes  upon  the  capital,  where  I  was 
more  likely  to  find  a  man  versed  in  the  history  of  his  tribe.  I 
then  communicated  to  my  visitor  my  wish  to  ascend  the  ridge 
which  overlooks  the  place,  and  on  the  top  of  which,  according 
to  Mohammedu,  a  spring  bubbled  ud  between  the  rocks.  The 


128 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


governor  advised  me  to  defer  the  excursion  till  the  morrow  ;  but, 
as  the  weather  was  line  at  the  time,  and  as  at  this  season  it 
was  very  doubtful  whether  it  would  be  so  the  next  morning,  I 
expressed  a  wish  to  obtain  at  once  a  view  at  least  over  the  op- 
posite mountain  chain.  He  then  told  me  that  I  might  do  as  I 
liked,  and  followed  me  with  his  whole  suite.  The  ridge,  on 
this  side  at  least,  consisted  entirely  of  enormous  blocks  of  gran- 
ite heaped  one  upon  the  other  in  wild  confusion,  and  making  the 
ascent  extremely  difficult,  nay,  impossible  without  ropes,  so  that, 
with  the  utmost  trouble,  we  reached  the  height  of  a  little  more 
than  a  hundred  feet,  which  gave  me,  however,  an  advantageous 
position  for  obtaining  a  view  over  the  broad  valley  and  the 
mountain  range  beyond,  of  which,  on  my  return  journey,  I  made 
a  sketch,  which  is  represented  in  the  wood-cut  opposite. 

Some  of  the  governor's  people,  however,  were  very  agile  in 
climbing  these  blocks,  and  they  need  to  be  so  if  they  wish  to 
subject  the  native  inhabitants,  who,  when  pursued,  retire  to 
these  natural  strongholds,  which  are  scattered  over  nearly  the 
whole  of  this  country. 

We  had  scarcely  returned  to  our  quarters  when  a  storm  broke 
out,  but  it  was  not  accompanied  with  a  great  quantity  of  rain. 
Our  cheer  was  indifferent,  and  we  passed  our  evening  in  rather 
a  dull  manner. 

Wednesday^  June  \\tTi»  Seeing  that  the  weather  was  gloomy, 
and  being  afraid  of  the  fatigue  connected  with  the  ascent  of  the 
ridge,  even  along  a  more  easy  path,  as  I  was  well  aware  how 
much  my  constitution  had  been  weakened,  I  preferred  going  on, 
and  gave  orders  for  starting.  On  leaving  the  western  gate  of 
the  town,  which  is  formed  of  very  large  trunks  of  trees,  we  en- 
tered on  a  tract  of  corn-fields  in  a  very  promising  condition, 
while,  at  the  same  time,  a  number  of  young  jet-black  slave- 
girls,  well  fed,  and  all  neatly  dressed  in  long  aprons  of  white 
clean  gabaga,  and  having  their  necks  adorned  with  strings  of 
glass  beads,  were  marched  out  to  their  daily  labor  in  the  field. 

The  town  formerly  extended  much  farther  in  this  direction, 
till  it  was  ransacked  and  plundered  by  Ramadhan,  a  slave  and 
officer  of  the  sheikh  Mohammed  el  Kanemi.    Before  the  Fulbe 


VALLEY  AND  MOUNTAIN  CHAIN. 


129 


Vol.  II.—I 


130 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


occupied  these  regions,  the  slave-hunting  expeditions  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Bornu  often  extended  into  the  very  heart  of  A^damawa. 
The  Fulbe  certainly  are  always  making  steps  toward  subjugat- 
ing the  country,  but  they  have  still  a  great  deal  to  do  before 
they  can  regard  themselves  as  the  undisturbed  possessors  of 
the  soil.  Even  here,  at  no  great  distance  beyond  the  little 
range  Avhich  we  had  on  our  right,  an  independent  tribe  called 
Gille  still  maintains  itself,  and  on  my  journey  I  shall  have  to 
relate  an  unsuccessful  expedition  of  the  Governor  of  U^ba 
against  the  Kilba-Gaya. 

Our  camels,  "  geloba,"  began  now  to  be  objects  of  the  great- 
est curiosity  and  wonder  to  the  natives  ;  for  it  happens  but 
rarely  that  this  animal  is  brought  into  the  country,  as  it  will 
not  bear  the  climate  for  any  length  of  time.  This  is  certainly 
a  circumstance  not  to  be  lost  sight  of  by  those  who  contemplate 
trade  and  intercourse  with  the  equatorial  regions  ;  but,  of  course, 
the  European,  with  his  energy  and  enterprise,  might  easily  suc- 
ceed in  acclimatizing  the  camel  by  preparing  himself  for  great 
losses  in  the  beginning. 

When  the  range  on  our  right  terminated,  our  view  extended 
over  a  great  expanse  of  country,  from  which  several  mountain 
groups  started  up,  entirely  detached  one  from  the  other,  and 
without  any  connecting  chain,  and  I  sketched  three  of  them, 
which  are  here  represented.    Of  the  names  of  the  first  two  my 


companions  were  not  quite  sure ;  but  they  all  agreed  in  calling 
the  last  Kilba-Gaya.  In  front  of  us  a  considerable  mountain 
mass  called  Fingting  developed  itself,  and  behind  it  another 
with  the  summits  Ba  and  Yaurogudde.  Keeping  along  the 
plain,  sometimes  over  fine  pasture-grounds,  at  other  times  over 
cultivated  fields,  and  crossing  several  little  streams,  we  at  length 
came  to  a  brook  or  rivulet  of  a  somewhat  larger  size,  which  is 


ivru'Bi. 


131 


said  to  issue  from  Blount  Guri,  toward  the  southeast,  and,  re- 


ceiving another  brock  coming  from  Mount  Dawa,  runs  west- 
ward.* 

Having  here  considered  whether  we  should  go  on  or  take  up 
our  quarters  in  ^lubi,  which  was  close  by,  we  decided  upon  the 
latter,  and  entered  the  place.  But  we  had  to  wait  a  long  while 
in  front  of  the  governor's  house,  and  were  at  length  conducted 
into  quarters  so  insufficient  that  we  preferred  encamping  outside 
the  town,  and  pitched  our  tent  near  a  tree,  which  promised  to 
afford  us  a  shady  place  during  the  hot  hours  of  the  day.  But 
we  had  scarcely  made  ourselves  comfortable  when  the  govern- 
or's servants  came  and  requested  me  most  urgently  to  come 
into  the  town,  promising  us  good  lodgings ;  I  therefore  gave 
way,  and  told  them  that  I  would  go  to  my  promised  quarters 
toward  night.  As  long  as  the  weather  was  dry  the  open  air 
was  much  more  agreeable,  and  I  turned  our  open  encampment 
to  account  hy  taking  accurate  angles  of  all  the  summits  around  ; 
but  a  storm  in  my  small  and  weak  tent  was  a  very  uncomfort- 
able thing,  and  I  gladly  accepted  the  offer  of  good  quarters  for 
the  night. 

*  I  think  it  probable  that  this  stream  joins  the  Gongola  Gongola,  or  rather,  as 
it  seems,  "  the  river  of  the  Gongola,"  Gongola  being  most  probably  the  name  of 
a  tribe,  that  small  branch  of  the  Benuwe  which  has  quite  recently  been  discover- 
ed by  Mr.  Vogel,  and  has  been  crossed  by  him  at  four  different  points  ;  but  I  am 
not  certain  whether  he  has  also  ascertained  the  point  of  junction  by  actual  ob- 
ser^-ation. 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  almost  the 
whole  population  of  the  town  came  out  to  see 
me  and  my  camels,  and  the  governor  him- 
self came  on  horseback,  inviting  me  into  his 
own  house,  w^hen  I  showed  him  my  chronom- 
eter, compass,  and  telescope,  which  created 
immense  excitement,  but  still  greater  was  the 
astonishment  of  those  particularly  who  knew 
how  to  read,  at  the  very  small  print  in  my 
prayer-book.  The  amiable  side  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  Fulbe  is  their  intelligence  and 
vivacity,  but  they  have  a  great  natural  dis- 
position to  malice,  and  are  not  by  any  means 
so  good-natured  as  the  real  Blacks ;  for  they 
really  are — certainly  more  in  their  character 
than  in  their  color — a  distinct  race  between 
the  Arab  and  Berber  on  the  one  side  and  the 
Negro  stock  on  the  other,  although  I  would 
not  suppose  that  the  ancients  had  taken  their 
prototype  of  Leucsethiopes  from  them.  How- 
ever striking  may  be  the  linguistic  indica- 
tions of  a  connection  of  this  tribe  with  the 
Kaffers  of  South  Africa,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  historically  they  have  proceeded 
from  the  west  toward  the  east.  But  of  this 
more  on  another  occasion. 

I  staid  out  till  the  sun  went  down,  and  be- 
fore leaving  my  open  dwelling  sketched  the 
long  range  of  mountains  to  the  east,  together 
with  the  Fingting. 

Between  ]\Iount  Meshila  and  Mount  Kirya 
a  road  leads  to  the  seats  of  the  Koma. 

The  whole  plain  affords  excellent  pasture, 
and  the  town  itself  is  a  straggling  place  of 
great  extent.  That  part  of  the  governor's 
house  wdiich  he  assigned  to  me  consisted  of 
a  court-yard  with  a  very  spacious  and  cool 


BAGMA.— A  WONDER. 


133 


hut,  having  two  doors  or  openings,  and  the  ground-floor  was 
strewn  with  pebbles  instead  of  sand,  which  seems  to  be  the  cus- 
tom here  throughout  the  rainy  season.  My  host  spent  a  great 
part  of  the  evening  in  our  company.  I  made  him  a  present  of 
ten  sheets  of  paper,  which,  as  a  learned  man  in  a  retired  spot 
who  had  never  before  seen  so  much  writing  material  together, 
caused  him  a  great  deal  of  delight,  though  he  seemed  to  be  of 
a  sullen  temper.  He  informed  me  that  the  Fulbe  settled  here 
belonged  to  the  tribe  of  the  Hillega. 

Thursday^  June  12th,  Although  the  weather  was  very 
gloomy,  we  set  out  in  the  morning  through  the  rich  grassy 
plain,  which  only  round  the  settlements  was  laid  out  in  culti- 
vated fields ;  we  crossed  and  recrossed  the  river  of  the  day  be- 
fore, which  keeps  meandering  through  the  plain.  When  we 
reached  the  village  Bagma,  which  was  cheerfully  enlivened  by 
a  numerous  herd  of  cattle,  I  was  struck  with  the  size  and  shape 
of  the  huts,  which  testified  to  the  difference  of  the  climate  which 
we  had  entered  not  less  than  to  the  mode  of  living  of  the  in- 
habitants. Some  of  these  huts  were  from  forty  to  sixty  feet 
long,  about  fifteen  broad,  and  from  ten  to  twelve  high,  narrow- 
ing above  to  a  ridge,  and  thatched  all  over,  no  distinction  being 
made  between  roof  and  wall ;  others  had  a  very  peculiar  shape, 
consisting  of  three  semicircles. 

The  reason  for  making  the  huts  so  spacious  is  the  necessity 
of  sheltering  the  cattle,  particularly  young  cattle,  against  the  in- 
clemency of  the  w^eather.  Some  of  them  were  nothing  better 
than  stables,  while  others  combined  this  distinction  with  that 
of  a  dwelling-house  for  the  owner.  The  village  is  separated 
into  two  quarters  by  the  river,  and  is  inhabited  entirely  by  IMo- 
hammedans.  The  news  of  a  marvelous  novelty  soon  stirred  up 
the  whole  village,  and  young  and  old,  male  and  female,  all  gath- 
ered round  our  motley  troop,  and  thronged  about  us  in  innocent 
mirth,  and  as  we  proceeded  the  people  came  running  from  the 
distant  fields  to  see  the  wonder ;  but  the  wonder  was  not  my- 
self, but  the  camel,  an  animal  which  many  of  them  had  never 
seen,  fifteen  years  having  elapsed  since  one  of  them  had  passed 
along  this  road.    The  chorus  of  shrill  voices,  ''geloba,  geloba," 


134 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


was  led  by  two  young  wanton  Pdllo  girls,  slender  as  antelopes, 
and  wearing  nothing  but  a  light  apron  of  striped  cotton  round 
their  loins,  who,  jumping  about  and  laughing  at  the  stupidity 
of  these  enormous  animals,  accompanied  us  for  about  two  miles 
along  the  fertile  plain.  We  passed  a  herd  of  about  three  hund- 
red cattle.  Gradually  the  country  became  covered  with  forest, 
with  the  exception  of  patches  of  cultivated  ground,  and  we  en- 
tered between  those  mountains  which  had  been  during  the  whole 
morning  in  front  of  us  ;  here  also  granite  prevailed,  and  all  the 
mountains  were  covered  with  underwood. 

About  nine  o'clock  the  path  divided,  and  my  companions  for 
a  long  time  were  at  a  loss  to  decide  which  of  the  two  they 
should  follow,  Billama  having  some  objection  to  pass  the  night 
in  Mbutudi,  which  he  thought  was  only  inhabited  by  pagans, 
and  preferring  Muglebu,  where  he  had  acquaintances ;  but  at 
length  the  people  of  xVdamav/a  carried  their  point,  and  we  chose 
the  westernmost  road,  which  passes  by  Mbutudi.  The  wilder- 
ness now  gave  way  to  open  pastures,  and  we  passed  some  corn- 
fields, when  we  came  to  the  farm  of  a  wealthy  Pullo  named  Al- 
kaso,  who  in  the  midst  of  a  numerous  family  was  leading  here 
the  life  of  a  patriarch.  Hearing  that  a  stranger  from  a  far-dis- 
tant country  was  passing  by,  the  venerable  old  man  came  out 
of  his  village  to  salute  me,  accompanied  by  his  sons,  and  two 
of  the  latter,  who  had  evidently  no  idea  of  the  heresy  of  the 
Christian  religion,  ran  a  long  distance  by  the  side  of  my  horse, 
and  did  not  turn  back  till  I  had  given  them  my  blessing. 
Pleasant  as  was  their  innocent  behavior,  showing  a  spirit  full 
of  confidence,  I  was  rather  glad  when  they  were  gone,  as  I 
wished  to  take  some  angles  ot  the  mountains  which  appeared 
scattered  through  the  gloomy  plain  on  our  right. 

After  a  while  the  low  chain  of  hills  on  our  left  was  succeeded 
by  a  range  of  higher  mountains  attached  to  the  broad  cone  of 
the  Faka.  A  little  before  we  had  obtained  a  view  of  the  rocky 
mount  of  Mbutudi,  and  we  now  observed  the  first  gigina  ("  dug- 
bi"  in  Fulfulde)  or  deleb-palm,  the  kind  of  Hyjphcena  which  I 
have  already  occasionally  mentioned  as  occurring  in  other  local- 
ities, but  wliich  distinguishes  this  place  in  a  most  characteristic 


I 


MBUTU'DI. 


137 


way.  The  ground  was  covered  with  rich  herbage,  from  which 
numerous  violets  peeped  forth. 

We  had  now  reached  Mbutudi,  a  village  situated  round  a 
granite  mount  of  about  six  hundred  yards'  circumference,  and 
rising  to  the  height  of  about  three  hundred  feet.  It  had  been  a 
(jonsiderable  place  before  the  rise  of  the  Fulbe,  encompassing  on 
all  gides  the  mount,  which  had  served  as  a  natural  citadel ;  but 
it  has  been  greatly  reduced,  scarcely  more  than  one  hundred 
huts  altogether  now  remaining ;  and  were  it  not  for  the  pictur- 
esque landscape — the  steep  rocky  mount  overgrown  with  trees, 
and  the  slender  deleb-palms  shooting  up  here  and  there,  and 
forming  denser  groups  on  the  southeast  side — it  would  be  a 
most  miserable  place. 

My  companions  were  greatly  astonished  to  find  that  since 
they  went  to  Kukawa  some  Fulbe  families  had  settled  here, 
for  formerly  none  but  native  pagans  lived  in  the  village.  It 
was  therefore  necessary  that  we  should  address  ourselves  to 
this  ruling  class ;  and  after  we  had  waited  some  time  in  the 
shade  of  som.e  caoutchouc-trees,  a  tall,  extremely  slender  PuUo, 
of  a  very  noble  expression  of  countenance,  and  dressed  in  a 
snow-white  shirt,  made  his  appearance,  and  after  the  usual  ex- 
change of  compliments,  and  due  inquiry  on  the  part  of  my  com- 
panions after  horse,  cattle,  mother,  slaves,  and  family,*  conduct- 
ed us  to  a  dwelling  not  far  from  the  eastern  foot  of  the  rock, 
consisting  of  several  small  huts,  with  a  tall  gigina  in  the  mid- 

*  The  Fiilbe  of  A'damawa  are  especially  rich  in  compliments,  which,  however, 
have  not  yet  lost  their  real  and  true  meaning.  Thus  the  general  questions,  "  nura 
baldum"  (are  you  well?),  "Jam  wali"  (have  you  slept?),  are  followed  by  the  spe- 
cial questions,  "  no  yimbe  uro"  (how  is  the  family?),  "no  inna  liro"  (how  is  the 
landlady?),  "to  puchu  mada,"  or  "  korri  puchu  majam"  (how  is  your  horse?), 
"  to  erajo  mada"  (how  is  your  grandfather?),  "  to  machudo  mada"  (how  is  your 
slave  ?),  "  to  bibe  mada"  (and  your  children  ?),  "to  sukabe  mada"  (how  are  your 
lads?),  "  bi'be  habe  majam"  (how  are  the  children  of  your  subjects?),  "korri  nay 
majam"  (how  are  your  cattle  ?)  ;  all  of  which,  in  general,  are  answered  with  "  se 
jam."  Between  this  strain  occasionally  a  question  about  the  news  of  the  world, 
"to  habbarii  diinia,"  and  with  travelers,  at  least,  a  question  as  to  the  fatigue, 
"to  chommeri,"  is  inserted.  There  is  still  a  greater  variety  of  compliments, 
the  form  of  many,  as  used  in  A'damawa,  varying  greatly  from  that  usual  in  other 
countries  occupied  by  the  Fulbe,  and,  of  course,  all  depends  on  the  time  of  the 
day  when  friends  meet. 


138 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


die  of  its  court-yard,  which  was  never  deserted  by  some  large 
birds  of  the  stork  family,  most  probably  some  European  wander- 
ers. However,  it  had  the  disadvantage  of  being  extremely  wet. 
so  that  I  preferred  staying  outside ;  and,  going  some  distance 
from  the  huts,  I  laid  myself  down  in  the  shade  of  a  tree,  where 
the  ground  was  comparatively  dry.  The  weather  had  been 
very  cool  and  cheerless  in  the  morning,  and  I  was  glad  when 
the  sun  at  length  came  forth,  increasing  the  interest  of  the 
landscape,  of  which  the  accompanying  view  may  give  a  slight 
idea.* 

I  here  tried,  for  the  first  time,  the  fruit  of  the  deleb-palm, 
which  was  just  ripe ;  but  I  did  not  find  it  worth  the  trouble, 
as  it  really  requires  a  good  deal  of  effort  to  suck  out  the  pulp, 
which  is  nothing  but  a  very  close  and  coarse  fibrous  tissue,  not 
separating  from  the  large  stone,  and  having  a  mawkish  taste, 
which  soon  grows  disagreeable.  It  can  not  be  at  all  compared 
with  the  banana,  and  still  less  with  the  fruit  of  the  gonda-tree. 
It  is,  when  full  grown,  from  six  to  eight  inches  long  and  four 
inches  across,  and  of  a  yellowish  brown  color;  the  kernel  is 
about  two  inches  and  a  half  long  and  one  inch  thick.  Howev- 
er, it  is  of  importance  to  the  natives,  and,  like  the  fruit  of  the 
dum-palm,  it  yields  a  good  seasoning  for  some  of  their  simple 
dishes.  They  make  use  of  the  stone  also,  breaking  and  plant- 
ing it  in  the  ground,  when  in  a  few  days  a  blade  shoots  forth 
with  a  very  tender  root,  which  is  eaten  just  like  the  kelingoes ; 
this  is  called  "  murrechi"  by  the  Hausa  people,  "bechul"  by 
the  Fulbe,  both  of  whom  use  it  very  extensively.  But  it  is  to 
be  remarked  that  the  gigina  or  deleb-palm  is  extremely  partial 
in  its  local  distribution,  and  seems  not  at  all  common  in  A^da- 
mawa,  being,  as  my  companions  observed,  here  confined  to  a 
few  localities,  such  as  Laro  and  Song,  while  in  the  Musgu  coun- 
try it  is,  according  to  my  own  observation,  the  predominant 
tree ;  and,  from  information,  I  conclude  this  to  be  the  case  also 
in  the  southern  provinces  of  Bagirmi,  particularly  in  Somray 
and  Day.    However,  the  immense  extension  of  this  palm,  which 

*  Unfortunately,  I  had  not  energy  enough  to  finish  it  in  detail,  so  that  many 
interesting  little  features  have  not  been  expressed. 


THE  ZA'NI  LANGUAGE. 


139 


probably  is  nearly  related  to  the  Borassus  flahelliformisj* 
through  the  whole  breadth  of  Central  Africa,  from  Kordofan  to 
the  Atlantic,  is  of  the  highest  importance. 

While  resting  here  I  received  a  deputation  of  the  heads  of 
families  of  the  Fulbe,  who  behaved  very  decently,  and  were  not 
a  little  excited  by  the  performances  of  my  watch  and  compass. 
I  then  determined  to  ascend  the  rock,  which  commands  and 
characterizes  the  village,  although,  being  fully  aware  of  the  de- 
bilitated state  of  my  health,  I  was  somewhat  afraid  of  any  great 
bodily  exertion.  It  was  certainly  not  an  easy  task,  as  the  crags 
were  extremely  steep,  but  it  was  well  worth  the  trouble,  although 
the  view  over  an  immense  space  of  country  was  greatly  inter- 
rupted by  the  many  small  trees  and  bushes  which  are  shooting 
out  between  the  granite  blocks. 

After  I  had  finished  taking  angles  I  sat  down  on  this  mag- 
nificent rocky  throne,  and  several  of  the  natives  having  followed 
me,  I  wrote  from  their  dictation  a  short  vocabulary  of  their  lan- 
guage, which  they  called  "Zani,"  and  which  I  soon  found  was 
intimately  related  to  that  of  the  Margin.  These  poor  creatures, 
seeing,  probably  for  the  first  time,  that  a  stranger  took  real  in- 
terest in  them,  were  extremely  delighted  in  hearing  their  words 
pronounced  by  one  whom  they  thought  almost  as  much  above 
them  as  their  god  "fete,"  and  frequently  corrected  each  other 
when  there  was  a  doubt  about  the  meaning  of  the  word.  The 
rock  became  continually  more  and  more  animated,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  two  young  Fulbe  girls  also,  who  from  the  first  had 
cast  a  kindly  eye  upon  me,  came  jumping  up  to  me,  accompa- 
nied by  an  elder  married  sister.  One  of  these  girls  was  about 
fifteen,  the  other  about  eight  or  nine  years  of  age.  They  were 
decently  dressed  as  Mohammedans,  in  shirts  covering  the  bosom, 
while  the  pagans,  although  they  had  dressed  for  the  occasion, 
wore  nothing  but  a  narrow  strip  of  leather  passed  between  the 
legs  and  fastened  round  the  loins,  with  a  large  leaf  attached  to 
it  from  behind  ;  the  women  were,  besides,  ornamented  with  the 
"kadama,"  which  is  the  same  as  the  segheum  of  the  Marghi, 

*  See  a  paper  read  by  Dr.  Berthold  Seeraan  in  the  Linnaean  Society,  Novem- 
ber 18th,  1856. 


140 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


and  worn  in  the  same  way,  stuck  through  the  under  lip,  hut  a 
little  larger.  Their  prevailing  complexion  was  a  yellowish  red, 
like  that  of  the  Marghi,  with  whom,  a  few  centuries  ago,  they 
evidently  formed  one  nation.  Their  worship,  also,  is  nearly 
the  same. 

At  length  I  left  my  elevated  situation,  and  with  a  good  deal 
of  trouble  succeeded  in  getting  down  again ;  but  the  tranquillity 
which  I  had  before  enjoyed  was  now  gone,  and  not  a  moment 
was  I  left  alone.  All  these  poor  creatures  wanted  to  have  my 
blessing ;  and  there  was  particularly  an  old  blacksmith,  who, 
although  he  had  become  a  proselyte  to  Islam,  pestered  me  ex- 
tremely with  his  entreaties  to  benefit  him  by  word  and  prayer. 
They  went  so  far  as  to  do  me  the  honor,  which  I  of  course  de- 
clined, of  identifying  me  with  their  god  "fete,"  who,  they 
thought,  might  have  come  to  spend  a  day  with  them,  to  make 
them  forget  their  oppression  and  misfortunes.  The  pagans, 
however,  at  length  left  me  when  night  came  on,  but  the  Fulbe 
girls  would  not  go,  or,  if  they  left  me  for  a  moment,  immediately 
returned,  and  so  staid  till  midnight.  The  eldest  of  the  un- 
married girls  made  me  a  direct  proposal  of  marriage,  and  I  con- 
soled her  by  stating  that  I  should  have  been  happy  to  accept 
her  offer  if  it  were  my  intention  to  reside  in  the  country.  The 
manners  of  people  who  live  in  these  retired  spots,  shut  out  from 
the  rest  of  the  world,  are  necessarily  very  simple  and  unaffect- 
ed, and  this  poor  girl  had  certainly  reason  to  look  out  for  a 
husband,  as  at  fifteen  she  was  as  far  beyond  her  first  bloom  as 
a  lady  of  twenty-five  in  Europe. 

Friday^  June  \?>th.  Taking  leave  of  these  good  people,  the 
girl  looked  rather  sorrowful  as  I  mounted  my  horse.  We  re- 
sumed our  march  the  following  morning,  first  through  corn- 
fields— the  grain  here  cultivated  being  exclusively  gero,  or  pen- 
nisetum — then  over  rich  and  thinly-wooded  pastures,  having 
the  mountain  chain  of  the  "Falibe"  constantly  at  some  distance. 
The  atmosphere  was  extremely  humid,  and  rain-clouds  hung 
upon  the  mountains.  Further  on  the  ground  consisted  entirely 
of  red  loam,  and  was  so  torn  up  by  the  rain  that  we  had  great 
difficulty  and  delay  in  leading  the  camels  round  the  gaps  and 


SEGE'RO.— MOUNT  HOLMA. 


141 


ravines.  Dense  underwood  now  at  times  prevailed,  and  a  bush 
called  "  baubaw,"  producing  an  edible  fruit,  here  first  fell  under 
my  observation ;  there  was  also  another  bulbous  plant  which  I 
had  not  observed  before.  The  karage  here,  again,  was  very 
common.  Gradually  the  whole  country  became  one  continuous 
wilderness,  with  the  surface  greatly  undulating,  and  almost  hilly ; 
and  here  we  passed  a  slave-village,  or  "rumde,"  in  ruins,  the 
clay  walls  being  all  that  remained. 

The  country  wore  a  more  cheerful  appearance  after  nine 
o'clock,  when  we  entered  on  a  wide  extent  of  cultivated  ground, 
the  crops  standing  beautifully  in  the  fields,  and  the  village  or 
villages  of  Segero  appearing  higher  up  on  the  slope  of  the  heights, 
in  a  commanding  situation.  Segero  consists  of  two  villages 
separated  by  a  ravine,  or  hollow  with  a  Tvater-course,  the  north- 
ernmost of  them,  to  which  we  came  first,  being  inhabited  joint- 
ly by  the  conquering  tribe  of  the  Fulbe  and  the  conquered  one 
of  the  Holma,  while  the  southern  village  is  exclusively  occupied 
by  the  ruling  race.  To  this  group  we  directed  our  steps,  pass- 
ing close  by  the  former,  where  I  made  a  hasty  sketch  of  the 
outlines  of  Mount  Holma. 


The  lamido,  or  mayor,  being  absent  at  the  time,  we  dismount- 
ed under  the  public  shade  in  front  of  his  house  till  a  comfort- 
able spacious  shed  in  the  inner  court-yard  of  his  dwelling  was 
placed  at  my  disposal ;  and  here  I  began  immediately  to  employ 
my  leisure  hours  in  the  study  of  the  Fulfulde,  as  I  became  fully 
aware  that  the  knowledge  of  this  language  was  essential  to  my 
plans,  if  I  wished  to  draw  all  possible  advantage  from  my  pro- 
ceedings ;  for  these  simple  people,  who  do  not  travel,  but  re- 
side all  their  life  long  in  their  secluded  homes,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  predatory  expeditions  against  the  pagans,  know  no 


142 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


other  language  than  then*  own ;  several  of  them,  however,  un- 
derstand the  written  Arabic  tolerably  well,  but  are  unable  to 
speak  it.  Meanwhile,  a  large  basket  full  of  ground-nuts,  in  the 
double  shell,  just  as  they  came  from  the  ground,  was  placed  be- 
fore us  ;  and  after  a  while,  three  immense  calabashes  of  a  thick 
soup,  or  porridge,  made  of  the  same  material,  were  brought  in 
for  the  refreshment  of  our  whole  troop. 

Ground-nuts  form  here  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  food  of 
the  people,  just  in  the  same  proportion  as  potatoes  do  in  Eu- 
rope, and  the  crops  of  corn  having  failed  the  last  year,  the  peo- 
ple had  very  little  besides.  Ground-nuts,  that  is  to  say,  the 
species  of  them  which  is  called  "  kolche"  in  Kanuri,  and  "bi- 
riji"  in  Fulfulde,  which  was  the  one  grown  here,  as  it  seems, 
exclusively,  I  Jike  very  much,  especially  if  roasted,  for  nibbling 
after  supper,  or  even  as  a  substitute  for  breakfast  on  the  road, 
but  I  should  not  like  to  subsist  upon  them.  In  fact,  I  was 
scarcely  able  to  swallow  a  few  spoonfuls  of  this  sort  of  porridge, 
which  was  not  seasoned  with  honey ;  but  I  must  confess  that 
the  spoons  which  the  people  here  use  for  such  purposes  are 
rather  large,  being  something  like  a  scoop,  and  made  likewise 
of  a  kind  of  gourd  ;  the  half  of  the  Cucurhita  lagenaria  split  in 
two,  so  that  the  handle  at  the  same  time  forms  a  small  channel, 
and  may  be  used  as  a  spout.  Nature  in  these  countries  has 
provided  every  thing ;  dishes,  bottles,  and  drinking- vessels  are 
growing  on  the  trees,  rice  in  the  forest,  and  the  soil  without  any 
labor  produces  grain.  The  porridge  can  certainly  be  made  more 
palatable  by  seasoning ;  ,and,  if  boiled  with  milk,  is  by  no  means 
disagreeable.  The  other  kind  of  ground-nut,  the  "gangala,"  or 
"  yerkurga,"  which  is  far  more  oily,  and  which  I  did  not  see  at 
all  in  A''damawa,  I  do  not  like,  though  the  people  used  to  say 
that  it  is  much  more  wholesome  than  the  other  kind.  For  mak- 
ing oil  it  is  evidently  the  more  valuable  of  the  two.  I  will  only 
add,  that  on  this  occasion  I  learned  that  the  Fulbe  in  this  part 
of  the  country  make  also  a  similar  porridge  of  sesamum,  which 
they  call  "  marasiri,"  and  even  of  the  habb  el  'aziz,  or  the  gojiya 
of  the  Hausa — the  nebu  of  the  Bornu  people.  Sesamum  I  have 
frequently  eaten  in  Negroland  as  a  paste  or  hasty  pudding,  but 
never  in  the  form  of  a  porridge. 


GROUXD-NUT  DIET. 


,— BUTTER-TREE. 


143 


The  reason  why  the  corn  had  failed  was  that  most  of  the  men 
had  gone  to  the  war  last  year,  the  turbulent  state  of  the  coun- 
try thus  operating  as  a  great  drawback  upon  the  cultivation  of 
the  ground.  I  must  also  observe  how  peculiarly  the  different 
qualities  of  the  soil  in  neighboring  districts  are  adapted  for  dif- 
ferent species  of  grain ;  while  in  Mbutudi,  as  I  said,  millet, 
gero,  or  Pennisetiiin  tyjphoideum^  was  cultivated  almost  exclu- 
sively, here  it  was  the  dawa,  "  bairi"  in  Fulfiilde,  or  sorghum, 
and  principally  the  red  sort,  or  "bairi  boderi." 

Having  restored  our  vital  strength  with  this  famous  pap  of 
ground-nuts,  and  having  filled  our  pockets,  and  the  nose-bags 
of  the  horses  too,  with  the  remains  of  the  great  basket,  we  set 
out  again  on  our  journey  in  the  afternoon,  for  it  appeared  to  me 
evident  that  none  of  my  companions  was  fond  of  \  strict  ground- 
nut diet,  and  hence  would  rather  risk  a  storm  than  a  supper  of 
this  same  dish.  It  had  become  our  general  rule  to  finish  our 
day's  journey  in  the  forenoon,  as  the  tempest  generally  set  in 
in  the  afternoon. 

The  fields  were  well  cultivated,  but  the  corn  on  the  more 
elevated  spots  stood  not  more  than  a  foot  high.  The  ground- 
nuts are  cultivated  between  the  corn,  the  regular  spaces  which 
are  left  between  each  stalk  being  sufficient  for  growing  a  clus- 
ter of  nuts  under  ground,  just  in  the  same  way  as  beans  are 
cultivated  in  many  parts  of  Negroland.  The  fields  were  beau- 
tifully shaded  and  adorned  by  the  butter-tree,  "  toso,"  or,  as  the 
Fulbe  call  it,  "karehi,"  in  the  plural  form  "kareji,"  which  was 
here  the  exclusively  predominant  tree,  and,  of  course,  is  greatly 
valued  by  the  natives.  Every  where  the  people  were  busy  in 
the  fields  ;  and  altogether  the  country,  inclosed  by  several  beau- 
tifully-shaped mountain  ranges  and  by  detached  mountains,  pre- 
sented a  most  cheerful  sight,  all  the  patches  of  grass  being  di- 
versified and  embellished  with  a  kind  of  violet-colored  lily. 

We  now  gradually  approached  the  foot  of  Mount  Holma,  be- 
hind which  another  mountain  began  to  rise  into  view,  while  on 
our  left  we  passed  a  small  "rumde"  or  slave- village,  and  then 
entered  a  sort  of  defile.  We  were  greatly  afraid  lest  we  should 
be  punished  for  the  gastronomic  transgression  of  our  traveling 


144 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


rule,  as  a  storm  threatened  us  from  behind ;  but  we  had  time 
to  reach  Badanijo  in  safety.  Punished,  however,  we  were,  like 
the  man  who  despised  his  peas  ;  for,  instead  of  finding  here  full 
bowls  of  ])udding,  we  could  not  even  procure  the  poor  ground- 
nuts ;  and  happy  was  he  who  had  not  neglected  to  fill  his  pock- 
ets from  the  full  basket  in  Seg^ro. 

We  had  the  utmost  difficulty  in  buying  a  very  small  quanti- 
ty of  grain  for  the  horses,  so  that  they  came  in  for  a  share  in 
the  remains  of  the  ground-nuts  of  Segero ;  and  my  host  espe- 
cially was  such  a  shabby,  inhospitable  fellow,  that  it  was  pain- 
ful to  speak  a  word  to  him.  However,  it  seemed  that  he  had 
reason  to  complain,  having  been  treated  very  harshly  by  op- 
pressive officers,  and  having  lost  all  his  cattle  by  disease.  Not 
a  drop  of  milk  was  to  be  got  in  the  village,  all  the  cattle  having 
died.  The  cattle,  at  least  those  of  the  large  breed,  which  ap- 
parently has  been  introduced  into  the  country  by  the  Fulbe, 
seem  not  yet  quite  acclimatized,  and  are  occasionally  decimated 
by  disease. 

Badanijo  is  very  picturesquely  situated  in  a  beautiful,  irregu- 
larly-shaped valley,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  mountains, 
which  are  seen  from  the  interior  of  the  village.  The  scarcity 
of  provisions  was  entirely  due  to  the  great  expedition  of  last 
year,  which  had  taken  away  all  hands  from  the  labors  of  the 
field  ;  for  the  land  around  here  is  extremely  fertile,  and  at  pres- 
ent, besides  sorghum  or  holcus,  produced  dankali,  or  sweet  po- 
tatoes, goza,  or  yams,  manioc,  and  a  great  quantity  of  gunna,  a 
large  variety  of  calabash  {Fucillea  trilohata,  Cucurhita  maxi- 
ma f),  Badanijo  is  also  interesting  and  important  to  the  eth- 
nologist as  being  the  northernmost  seat  of  the  extensive  tribe 
of  the  Fall  or  Fan,  which,  according  to  the  specimens  of  its 
language  which  I  was  able  to  collect,  is  entirely  distinct  from 
the  tribe  of  the  Batta,  and  their  kinsmen  the  Zani  and  Marghi, 
and  seems  to  have  only  a  remote  affinity  with  the  Wandala  and 
Gamerghu  languages.  At  present  the  village  is  principally,  but 
not  exclusively,  inhabited  by  the  ruling  race,  and  I  estimated 
the  population  at  about  three  thousand. 

Saturday^  June  lAth.  After  we  had  left  the  rich  vegetation 


KURU'LU. 


145 


which  surrounds  the  village,  we  soon  entered  a  wild  and  hilly 
district,  and,  while  passing  over  the  spur  of  a  rocky  eminence 
on  our  left,  observed,  close  to  the  brink  of  the  cliffs  overhanging 
our  heads,  the  huts  of  the  pagan  village  Buggela,  and  heard  the 
voices  of  the  natives,  while  at  some  distance  on  our  right  de- 
tached hills,  all  of  which  seemed  to  consist  of  granite,  rose  from 
the  rugged  and  thickly-wooded  plain.  The  rugged  nature  of 
this  country  increases  the  importance  of  Badamjo  in  a  strateget- 
ical  point  of  view.  The  country  became  continually  more  rocky 
and  rugged,  and  there  was  scarcely  a  narrow  path  leading 
through  the  thick  underwood,  so  that  my  friend,  the  pilgrim 
from  Melle,  who  rode  his  tall  camel,  had  the  greatest  possible 
trouble  to  make  his  way  through  ;  however,  I  had  reason  to  ad- 
mire his  dexterity.  All  through  Negroland,  where  so  many  ex- 
tensive tracts  are  covered  with  forest,  traveling  on  camel's  back 
is  very  troublesome.  It  was  certainly  very  lucky  for  us  that, 
for  the  last  five  days,  scarcely  any  rain  had  fallen,  otherwise  the 
path  would  have  been  extremely  difficult. 

However,  when  we  reached  the  village  Kurulu,  the  country 
improved,  spreading  out  into  wide  pastures  and  cultivated  fields, 
although  it  remained  hilly  and  rather  rugged ;  even  close  to  the 
village  a  lower  range  appeared,  and  granite  masses  projected  ev- 
ery where.  A  short  distance  farther  on  I  sketched  Mount  Ku- 
rdlu  and  the  heights  near  it. 


Several  of  our  party  had  gone  into  the  village,  and  obtained 
some  cold  paste,  made  of  a  peculiar  species  of  sorghum,  of  en- 
tirely red  color.  This  red  grain,  "  ja-n-dawa,"  or  bairi  bode- 
ri,"  which  I  have  already  had  occasion  to  mention,  is  very  com- 
mon in  the  southern  part  of  Negroland  below  the  tenth  degree 
of  latitude,  and  in  some  districts,  as  in  the  Musgu  country. 

Vol.  II.— K 


146 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


seems  to  prevail  almost  exclusively ;  but  it  was  at  the  time  new 
to  me,  and  I  found  it  extremely  nauseous.  The  paste  of  white 
durra,  "  fari  n  dawa,"  or  "  bairi  dhanneri,"  is  generally  so  well 
cooked  in  A^damawa,  being  formed  into  large  rolls  of  four  inch- 
es in  length,  and  from  two  to  three  inches  thick  in  the  middle, 
that  even  when  cold  it  is  quite  eatable,  and  in  this  state  generally 
formed  my  breakfast  on  the  road ;  for  my  palatable  chebchebe 
from  Kukawa,  like  all  nice  things  in  the  world,  were  soon  gone. 

Gradually  we  entered  another  rugged  wilderness,  from  which 
we  did  not  emerge  till  a  quarter  before  ten  o'clock,  when  a  ma- 
rina, or  dyeing  place,  indicated  the  neighborhood  of  a  centre  of 
civilization  unusual  in  this  country.  A  few  minutes  more,  and 
we  reached  the  northern  village  of  Sarawu,  which  is  inhabited 
almost  exclusively  by  Bornu  people,  and  is  therefore  called  Sa- 
rawu Berebere.  On  the  side  from  which  we  arrived  the  village 
is  open,  and  does  not  seem  to  be  thickly  inhabited,  but  farther 
to  the  south  the  population  is  denser.  Having  halted  some 
time  on  a  small  open  space  in  the  middle  of  the  village,  in  the 
shade  of  a  small  terebinth,  we  were  conducted  into  very  excel- 
lent quarters,  which  seem  to  deserve  a  short  description. 

It  was  a  group  of  three  huts,  situated 
in  the  midst  of  a  very  spacious  outer 
yard,  which  was  surrounded  by  a  light 
fence  of  corn-stalks.  The  huts  consist- 
ed of  clay  walls,  with  a  thatched  roof  of 
very  finished  workmanship,  and  were 
joined  together  by  clay  walls.  The 
most  spacious  of  these  huts  (a),  of  about 
twelve  feet  in  diameter,  formed  the  en- 
trance-hall and  the  parlor,  being  furnished  with  two  doors  or 
openings,  one  on  the  side  of  the  outer,  and  the  other  on  the  side 
of  the  inner  court-yard,  from  which  the  two  other  huts  {h  and 
c),  destined  for  the  women,  had  their  only  access.  The  outer 
opening  or  door  of  the  chief  hut  («),  although  rather  small  ac- 
cording to  our  ideas,  was  very  large  considering  the  general  cus- 
tom of  the  country,  measuring  three  feet  and  a  half  in  height,  and 
sixteen  inches  in  the  widest  part,  its  form  being  that  of  an  egg. 


CONSTRUCTION  OF  HUTS. 


147 


In  this  hut  there  was  only  one  very  large  couch,  measuring 
seven  feet  and  a  half  in  length  by  five  in  width,  and  raised  three 
feet  above  the  floor,  made  of  clay  over  a  frame  of  wood,  on  the 
right  side  of  the  door,  where  the  landlord  used  to  receive  his 
guests,  the  remaining  part  of  the  hut  being  empty,  and  capable 
of  receiving  a  good  many  people.  Between  the  couch  and  the 
door  there  Avas  a  fire-place,  or  fugodi,  or  fugo  kannuram  in  Ka- 
nuri,  "  hobbunirde"  in  Fulfulde,  formed  by  three  stones  of  the 
same  size.  Of  this  airy  room  I  myself  took  possession,  spread- 
ing my  carpet  upon  the  raised  platform,  while  the  m'allem,  my 
servants,  and  whosoever  paid  me  a  visit,  found  a  place  on  the 
floor.  The  wall,  which  was  rather  thicker  than  usual,  was  all 
colored  with  a  reddish-brown  tint,  and  upon  this  ground  several 
objects  had  been  so  unartistically  delineated  that,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  wooden  tablets,  "  alio,"  such  as  the  boys  here  use  in 
learning  to  write,  it  was  impossible  to  tell  what  they  were  in- 
tended for. 

The  hut  opposite  the  parlor  (^),  which  was  smaller  than  (a), 
but  larger  than  (c),  seemed  intended  for  the  ordinary  dwelling 
of  the  landlady,  being  ornamented  in  the  background  with  the 
"gangar,"  as  it  is  called  in  Kaniiri,  "  nanne"  in  Fulfulde,  a 
raised  platform  or  sideboard  for  the  cooking  utensils  ;  here  four 
large-sized  new  jars  were  placed,  as  in  battle  array,  surmounted 
by  smaller  ones.  With  regard  to  the  other  arrangements  the 
two  huts  were  of  similar  construction,  having  on  each  side  a 
couch,  one  for  the  man  and  the  other  for  his  wife.  In  both  the 
woman's  couch  was  the  better  one,  being  formed  of  clay  on  a 
wooden  frame,  and  well  protected  from  prying  eyes  by  a  thin 
clay  wall  about  five  feet  high,  and  handsomely  ornamented  in 
the  following  way  :  running  not  only  along  the  side  of  the  door, 
but  inclosing  also  half  of  the  other  side,  it  excluded  all  imper- 
tinent curiosity,  while  the  man's  couch,  which  was  less  regular 
and  comfortable,  reached  to  the  very  border  of  the  door,  and  on 
this  side  had  the  protection  only  of  a  thin  clay  wall  without  or- 
naments. With  the  privacy  thus  attained,  the  size  of  the  doors 
was  in  entire  harmony,  being  of  an  oval  shape,  and  very  small, 
particularly  in  (c),  measuring  only  about  two  feet  in  height  and 


148 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


ten  inches  in  width,  a  size  which  I  am  afraid  would  refuse  a  pas- 
sage to  many  a  European  lady ;  indeed,  it  might  seem  rather 
intended  to  keep  a  married  lady  within  doors  after  she  had  first 
contrived  to  get  in. 

Notwithstanding  the  scanty  light  falling  into  the  interior  of 
the  hut  through  the  narrow  doorway,  it  was  also  painted,  {c)  in 
this  respect  surpassing  its  sister  hut  in  the  harmony  of  its  col- 
ors, which  formed  broad  alternate  bands  of  white  and  brown, 
and  gave  the  whole  a  very  stately  and  finished  character.  The 
whole  arrangement  of  these  two  huts  bore  distinct  testimony  to 
a  greatly  developed  sense  of  domestic  comfort. 

In  the  wall  of  the  court-yard,  between  [b)  and  (c),  there  was 
a  small  back  door,  raised  above  the  ground,  and  of  diminutive 
size  (y ),  apparently  intended  for  admitting  female  visitors  with- 
out obliging  them  to  pass  through  the  parlor,  and  at  the  same 
time  showing  much  confidence  in  the  discretion  of  the  female  de- 
partment. In  the  court-yard  were  two  large-sized  jars,  (g)  the 
larger  one  being  the  bazam  or  corn-jar,  and  the  smaller  (d)  the 
gebam  or  water-jar.  In  the  corner,  formed  between  the  hut  {a) 
and  the  wall  of  the  court-yard,  was  the  "  fugodi,"  or  kitchen,  on 
a  small  scale. 

The  house  belonged  to  a  private  man,  who  was  absent  at  the 
time.  From  the  outer  court-yard,  which,  as  I  have  observed, 
was  spacious,  and  fenced  only  with  corn-stalks,  there  was  an  in- 
teresting panorama  over  a  great  extent  to  the  south,  and  I  was 
enabled  to  take  a  great  many  angles.  From  this  place,  also,  I 
made  the  following  sketch  of  a  cone  which  seemed  to  me  very 
picturesque,  but  the  exact  name  of  which  I  could  not  learn. 

Sarawu  is  the  most  elevated  place  on  the  latter  part  of  this 


NEGRO  COLONIZATION. 


149 


route,  although  the  highest  point  of  the  water-partition,  between 
the  basin  of  the  Tsad  and  that  of  the  so-called  Niger,  as  I  stated 
before,  seems  to  be  at  the  pass  north  of  U^ba.  The  difference 
between  the  state  of  the  corn  here  and  in  Mubi  and  thereabout 
was  very  remarkable.  The  crop  stood  here  scarcely  a  few  inch- 
es above  the  ground.*  The  soil,  also,  around  the  place  is  not 
rich,  the  mould  being  thin  upon  the  surface  of  the  granite,  which 
in  many  places  lies  bare.  The  situation  of  Sarawu  is  very  im- 
portant on  account  of  its  being  the  point  where  the  road  from 
Logon  and  all  the  northeastern  part  of  A^damawa,  which  in- 
cludes some  very  considerable  centres  of  industry  and  commerce 
— particularly  Fatawel,  the  entrepot  of  all  the  ivory  trade  in 
these  quarters — joins  the  direct  road  from  Kukawa  to  the  capi- 
tal. Cotton  is  cultivated  here  to  some  extent.  A''damawa  is 
a  promising  country  of  colonies. 

Sarawu,  too,  was  suffering  from  dearth  from  the  same  reason 
which  I  have  explained  above ;  the  second  crop,  which  is  des- 
tined to  provide  for  the  last  and  most  pressing  period,  while  the 
new  crop  is  ripening,  not  having  been  sown  at  all  last  year  on 
account  of  the  expedition,  so  that  we  had  great  difficulty  in  ob- 
taining the  necessary  corn  for  our  five  horses.  It  would,  how- 
ever, have  been  very  easy  for  me  to  obtain  a  sufficient  supply 
if  I  had  demanded  a  small  fee  for  my  medical  assistance,  as  I 
had  a  good  many  patients  who  came  to  me  for  remedies ;  but 
this  I  refrained  from  doing.  I  had  here  some  very  singular 
cases,  which  rather  exceeded  my  skill ;  and,  among  others,  there 
was  a  woman  who  had  gone  with  child  full  two  years,  without 
any  effort  on  the  part  of  her  imaginary  offspring  to  come  forth, 

*  I  made  some  observations  with  the  boiling-water  instrument  on  this  road, 
but,  unfortunately,  my  thermometers  for  this  purpose  were  entirely  out  of  order. 


150 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


and  who  came  to  me  with  full  confidence  that  the  far-famed 
stranger  woukl  be  able  to  help  her  to  motherhood.  Among  the 
people  who  visited  me  there  was  also  a  T^bu,  or  rather  Teda, 
who  in  his  mercantile  rambles  had  penetrated  to  this  spot ;  in- 
deed, these  people  are  very  enterprising,  but  in  general  their 
journeys  lie  more  in  the  direction  of  Wandala,  where  they  dis- 
pose of  a  great  quantity  of  glass  beads.  This  man  had  resided 
here  some  time,  but  was  not  able  to  give  me  much  information.* 
He,  however,  excited  my  curiosity  with  regard  to  two  white 
women,  whom  I  was  to  see  in  Yola,  brought  there  from  the 
southern  regions  of  A^'damawa,  and  who,  he  assured  me,  were 
at  least  as  white  as  myself.  But,  after  all,  this  was  not  saying 
much,  for  my  arms  and  face  at  that  time  were  certainly  some 
shades  darker  than  the  darkest  Spaniard  or  Italian.  I  had 
heard  already  several  people  speak  of  these  women,  and  the  na- 
tives had  almost  made  them  the  subject  of  a  romance,  spread- 
ing the  rumor  that  my  object  in  going  to  Yola  was  to  get  a 
white  female  companion.  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  about 
a  tribe  of  lighter  color  than  usual  in  the  interior,  not  far  from 
the  coast  of  the  Cameroons,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  about 
the  fact.  My  short  and  uncomfortable  stay  in  the  capital  of 
A^damawa  deprived  me  of  the  opportunity  of  deciding  with  re- 
gard to  the  exact  shade  of  these  people's  complexion,  but  I  think 
it  is  a  yellowish  brown. 

Sunday^  Jiciie  loth.  Having  been  busy  in  the  morning  writ- 
ing Fulfdlde,  I  mounted  my  horse  about  ten  o'clock,  accompa- 
nied by  Billama  and  Bu-S'ad,  in  order  to  visit  the  market, 
which  is  held  every  Thursday  and  Sunday  on  a  little  eminence 
at  some  distance  from  the  Bornu  village,  and  close  to  the  S.E. 
side  of  Sarawu  Fulfulde,  separated  from  the  latter  by  a  ravine. 
The  market  v\^as  furnished  with  thirty-five  stalls  made  of  bushes 
and  mats,  and  was  rather  poorly  attended.  However,  it  must 
be  taken  into  consideration  that,  during  the  season  of  field-la- 

*  The  only  thing  which  I  learned  from  him  was  that  there  is  a  village  called 
Zum,  inhabited  by  Fiilbe,  near  Holraa,  and  about  half  a  day's  journey  from  Sa- 
rawu, situated  on  a  level  tract  of  country ;  and  a  little  to  the  west  from  it  another 
])lace,  called  Deba,  also  inhabited  by  Fiilbe. 


THE  MARKET. 


151 


bors,  all  markets  in  Negroland  are  much  less  considerable  than 
at  other  seasons  of  the  year.  There  were  a  good  many  head 
of  cattle  for  sale,  while  two  oxen  were  slaughtered  for  provision, 
to  be  cut  up  and  sold  in  small  parcels.  The  chief  articles  be- 
sides were  ground-nuts,  butter,  a  small  quantity  of  rice,  salt,  and 
soap.  Soap,  indeed,  is  a  very  important  article  in  any  country 
inhabited  by  Fulbe,  and  it  is  prepared  in  every  household ; 
while  very  often,  even  in  large  places  inhabited  by  other  tribes, 
it  is  quite  impossible  to  obtain  this  article  so  essential  for  clean- 
liness. No  native  grain  of  any  kind  w^as  in  the  market — a 
proof  of  the  great  dearth  which  prevailed  throughout  the  coun- 
try. A  few  turkedi  were  to  be  seen ;  and  I  myself  introduced 
a  specimen  of  this  article,  in  order  to  obtain  the  currency  of  the 
country  for  buying  small  matters  of  necessity. 

The  standard  of  the  market  is  the  native  cotton,  woven,  as  it 
is  all  over  Negroland,  in  narrow  strips  called  "leppi,"  of  about 
two  inches  and  a  quarter  in  width,  though  this  varies  greatly. 
Shells  ("kurdi"  or  "chede")  have  no  currency.  The  smallest 
measure  of  cotton  is  the  "nanande,"  measuring  ten  *'dr'a"  or 
*'f6ndude"  {sing,  "fonduki"),  equal  to  four  fathoms,  "kame" 
or  "  nandude"  {sing,  "nanduki"*).  Seven  nanande  make  one 
"  dora" — meaning  a  small  shirt  of  extremely  coarse  workman- 
ship, and  scarcely  to  be  used  for  dress ;  and  from  two  to  five 
dora  make  one  thob  or  "gaffaleul"t  of  variable  size  and  quali- 
ty. The  turkedi  which  I  introduced  into  the  market,  and 
wliich  I  had  bought  in  Kano  for  1800  kurdi,  was  sold  for  a 
price  equivalent  to  2500  shells,  which  certainly  is  not  a  great 
profit,  considering  the  danger  of  the  road.  However,  it  must 
be  borne  in  mind  that  what  I  bought  for  1800  a  native  certain- 
ly would  have  got  for  1600,  and  would  perhaps  have  sold  for 
2800  or  more. 

Having  caused  some  disturbance  to  the  usual  quiet  course  of 
business  in  the  market,  I  left  Bu-S'ad  behind  me  to  buy  some 

*  This  is  the  origin  of  the  word  nanande,  which  is  a  corruption  from  "nai 
nandudi" — four  fathoms. 

t  "GafFaleul"  is  a  provincialism  only  used  by  the  Fulbe  of  Fumbina,  and  not 
understood  either  in  K^bbi  or  in  Masena,  where  "toggorc"  is  the  common  e:c- 
pression. 


152 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


articles  which  we  wanted,  and  proceeded  with  my  kashella  to- 
ward the  ravine,  and,  ascending  the  opposite  bank,  entered  the 
straggling  quarter  of  the  Fulbe,  which,  in  a  very  remarkable 
manner,  is  adorned  with  a  single  specimen  of  the  charming  gon- 
da-tree,  or  "  dukuje"  (the  Carica  pajpayct)^  and  a  single  speci- 
men of  the  gigiiia  or  dugbi,  the  Jlyphoeiia  which  I  have  fre- 
quently mentioned  ;  at  all  events,  not  more  than  these  two 
specimens  are  seen  rearing  their  tapering  forms  above  the  huts 
and  fences.  Then  we  directed  our  steps  toward  the  dwelling 
of  the  governor,  which  impressed  me  by  its  magnificence,  when 
compared  with  the  meanness  of  the  cottages  around.  A  very 
spacious  oblong  yard,  surrounded  with  a  high  clay  wall,  encir- 
cled several  apartments,  the  entrance  being  formed  by  a  round 
cool  hut  of  about  twenty-five  feet  diameter,  the  clay  walls  of 
which,  from  the  ground  to  the  border  of  the  thatched  roof,  meas- 
ured about  ten  feet  in  height,  and  had  two  square  doors  of 
about  eight  feet  in  height,  one  toward  the  street,  and  the  other 
on  the  inside — altogether  a  splendid  place  in  the  hot  season. 
Here,  too,  the  floor  was  at  present  thickly  strewn  with  pebbles. 

But  the  master  of  this  noble  mansion  was  an  unhappy  blind 
man,  who,  leaning  upon  the  shoulders  of  his  servants,  was  led 
into  the  room  by  a  m'allem  or  modibo,  one  of  the  finest  men  I 
have  seen  in  the  country,  and  more  like  a  European  than  a  na- 
tive of  Negroland,  tall  and  broad-shouldered,  and  remarkably 
amiable  and  benevolent.  The  governor  himself,  also,  was  re- 
markably tall  and  robust  for  a  Pullo.  The  modibo,  who  spoke 
Arabic  tolerably  well,  and  ofiiciated  as  interpreter,  had  heard  a 
good  deal  about  me,  and  was  most  anxious  to  see  those  curious 
instruments  w^hich  had  been  described  to  him  ;  and,  as  I  wore 
the  chronometer  and  compass  constantly  attached  to  my  waist, 
I  was  able  to  satisfy  his  curiosity,  which,  in  so  learned  a  man, 
was  less  vain  and  more  interesting  than  usual.  But  the  poor 
blind  governor  felt  rather  uneasy  because  he  could  not  see  these 
wonders  with  his  own  eyes,  and  endeavored  to  indemnify  him- 
self by  listening  to  the  ticking  of  the  watch,  and  by  touching 
the  compass.  But  he  was  more  disappointed  still  when  I  de- 
clared that  I  was  unable  to  restore  his  sight,  which,  after  all  the 


TRADE  IN  CLOVES. 


153 


stories  he  had  heard  about  me,  he  had  thought  me  capable  of 
doing ;  and  I  could  only  console  him  by  begging  him  to  trust 
in  "  Jaumirawo"  (the  Lord  on  High).  As,  on  setting  out,  I  did 
not  know  that  we  were  going  to  pay  our  respects  to  this  man, 
I  had  no  present  to  offer  him  except  a  pair  of  English  scissors, 
and  these,  of  course,  in  his  blindness,  he  was  unable  to  value, 
though  his  companion  found  out  immediately  how  excellent  they 
were  for  cutting  paper.  The  governor  is  far  superior  in  power 
to  his  neighbors,  and,  besides  Sarawu,  Kurundel  or  Korulu  and 
Bingel  are  subject  to  his  government. 

While  recrossing  the  ravine  on  my  return  to  Sarawu  Bere- 
bere,  I  observed  with  great  delight  a  spring  of  water  bubbling 
up  from  the  soil,  and  forming  a  small  pond — quite  a  new  spec- 
tacle for  me.  After  I  had  returned  to  my  quarters  I  was  so 
fortunate  as  to  make  a  great  bargain  in  cloves,  which  I  now 
found  out  were  the  only  article  in  request  here.  The  Bornu 
women  seemed  amazingly  fond  of  them,  and  sold  the  nanande 
of  leppi  for  thirty  cloves,  when,  seeing  that  they  were  very  eager 
to  buy,  I  raised  the  price  of  my  merchandise,  offering  only  twen- 
ty-five. I  had  also  the  luck  to  buy  several  fowls  and  sufficient 
corn  for  three  horses  with  a  pair  of  scissors ;  and  as  my  m'al- 
lem  Katuri  had  several  old  female  friends  in  the  village  who 
sent  him  presents,  we  all  had  plenty  to  eat  that  day.  But,  nev- 
ertheless, my  old  friend  the  m'allem  was  not  content,  but,  in  the 
consciousness  of  his  own  merits,  picked  a  quarrel  with  me  be- 
cause I  refused  to  write  charms  for  the  people,  while  they  all 
came  to  me  as  to  the  wisest  of  our  party;  and,  had  I  done  so, 
we  might  all  have  lived  in  the  greatest  luxury  and  abundance. 

In  the  evening,  while  a  storm  was  raging  outside,  Billama 
gave  me  a  list  of  the  most  important  persons  in  the  capital  of 
the  country  which  we  Avere  now  fast  approaching.  Mohammed 
Lowel,  the  son  of  JM'allem  A^dama,  has  several  full-grown  broth- 
ers, who  all  figure  occasionally  as  leaders  of  great  expeditions, 
and  also  others  of  more  tender  age.  The  eldest  of  these  is  Bu- 
Bakr  (generally  called  M'allem  Bageri),  who  last  year  conducted 
the  great  expedition  toward  the  north ;  next  follows  Aijo ;  then 
M'allem  Mansur,  a  man  whom  Billama  represented  to  me  as  of 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


special  importance  for  me,  on  account  of 
his  being  the  favorite  of  the  people,  and 
amicably  disposed  toward  Bornu;  'Omaro; 
Zuberu ;  Hamidu.  Of  the  other  people, 
he  represented  to  me  as  the  most  influen- 
tial— Mode  Hassan,  the  kadhi ;  Mode ' Abd- 
Allahi,  the  secretary  of  state ;  and  the  Ardo 
Ghammawa,  as  commander  of  the  troops.- 
As  the  most  respectable  Hausa  people  set- 
tled in  Yola,  he  named  Kaiga  Hamma,  Ser- 
ki-n-G6ber,  Mai  Konama,  Magaji-n-Had- 
der,  Mai  Hadder,  and  Buwari  (Bokhari). 

I  introduce  this  notice,  as  it  may  prove 
useful  in  case  of  another  expedition  up  the 
River  Benuwe. 

Monday^  JunelQth.  Starting  at  an  ear- 
ly hour,  we  passed  the  market-place,  which 
to-day  was  deserted,  and  then  left  the  Pul- 
lo  town  on  one  side.  The  country  being: 
elevated,  and  the  path  winding,  we  had 
every  moment  a  new  view  of  the  mount- 
ains around  us ;  and  before  we  began  to 
descend  I  made  the  accompanying  sketch 
of  the  country  behind  us,  stretching  from 
N.  30°  E.  to  E.  20°  N. 

The  country  continued  rugged  and  rocky, 
though  it  was  occasionally  interrupted  by 
cultivated  ground,  and  a  mountain  group 
of  interesting  form,  called  Konkel,  stood  out 
on  our  right. 

Having  entered  at  eight  o'clock  upon  cul- 
tivated ground  of  great  extent,  we  reached, 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  afterward,  Belem,  the 
residence  of  M'allem  Dalili,  a  man  whom  I 
had  heard  much  praised  in  Sarawu.  Billa- 
ma  wished  to  spend  the  day  here,  but  I  was 
very  anxious  to  proceed,  as  we  had  already 


BELEM. 


155 


lost  the  preceding  day ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  I  desired  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  and  to  pay  my  respects  to  a  person  whom  every 
one  praised  for  his  excellent  qualities.  I  therefore  sent  forward 
the  camels  with  the  men  on  foot,  while  I  myself  entered  the 
village  with  the  horsemen.  Crossing  a  densely-inhabited  quar- 
ter, we  found  the  m'allem  sitting  under  a  tree  in  his  court-yard, 
a  venerable  and  benevolent-looking  old  man,  in  a  threadbare 
blue  shirt  and  a  green  baki-n-zaki."  We  had  scarcely  paid 
our  respects  to  him,  and  he  had  asked  a  few  general  questions 
in  Arabic,  when  an  Arab  adventurer  from  Jedda,  with  the  title 
of  sherif,  who  had  roved  a  good  deal  about  the  world,  made  his 
appearance,  and  was  very  inquisitive  to  know  the  motives  which 
Iiad  carried  me  into  this  remote  country ;  and  Bu-S'ad  thought 
it  prudent  to  pique  his  curiosity  by  telling  him  that  we  had 
come  to  search  for  the  gold  and  silver  in  the  mountains.  Old 
M'allem  Dalili  soon  after  began  to  express  himself  to  the  effect 
that  he  should  feel  offended  if  I  would  not  stay  with  him  till 
the  afternoon  ;  and  I  was  at  length  obliged  to  send  for  the  cam- 
els, which  had  already  gone  on  a  good  way. 

A  rather  indifferent  lodging  being  assigned  to  me,  I  took  pos- 
session of  the  shade  of  a  rimi  or  bentehi — the  bentang-tree  of 
Mungo  Park  (Eviodendron  Guinense)^  of  rather  small  size,  and 
there  tried  to  resign  myself  quietly  to  the  loss  of  another  day, 
while  in  truth  I  burned  with  impatience  to  see  the  river,  which 
was  the  first  and  most  important  object  of  my  journey.  How- 
ever, my  quarters  soon  became  more  interesting  to  me,  as  I  ob- 
served here  several  peculiarities  of  arrangement,  which,  while 
they  were  quite  new  to  me,  were  most  characteristic  of  the  equa- 
torial regions  wliich  I  was  approaching  ;  for  while  in  Bornu 


156 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


and  Hdusa  it  is  the  general  custom  to  expose  tlie  horses,  even 
very  line  ones,  to  all  changes  of  the  weather — which,  on  the 
whole,  are  not  very  great — in  these  regions,  where  the  wet  sea- 
son is  of  far  longer  duration  and  the  rains  much  heavier,  it  is 
not  prudent  to  leave  the  animals  unsheltered,  and  stables  are 
built  for  them  on  purpose,  round  spacious  huts  with  unusually 
high  clay  walls ;  these  are  called  "  debbiru"  by  the  Fulbe  of 
xVdamawa,  from  the  Hausa  word  "  debbi."  Even  for  the  cattle 
there  was  here  a  stable,  but  more  airy,  consisting  only  of  a 
thatched  roof  supported  by  thick  poles,  and  inclosed  with  a 
fence  of  thorny  bushes. 

The  vegetation  in  the  place  was  very  rich,  and  an  experi- 
enced botanist  might  have  found  many  new  species  of  plants, 
while  to  me  the  most  remarkable  circumstance  was  the  quantity 
of  Palma  Chynsti  scattered  about  the  place,  a  single  specimen 
of  the  gonda-tree,  and  the  first  specimen  of  a  remarkable  plant 
which  I  had  not  observed  before  on  my  travels — a  smooth,  soft 
stem,  about  ten  inches  thick  at  the  bottom,  and  shooting  up  to 
a  height  of  about  twenty-five  feet,  but  drawn  downward  and  in- 
clined by  the  weight  and  size  of  its  leaves,  which  measured  six 
feet  in  length  and  about  twenty  inches  in  breadth.  The  Hausa 
people  gave  it  the  name  "alleluba,"  a  name  generally  given  to 
quite  a  different  tree,  which  I  have  mentioned  in  speaking  of 
Kano.  The  plant  bears  some  resemblance  to  the  Musa^  or  ba- 
nana ;  fruits  or  flowers  it  had  none  at  present. 

I  had  been  roving  about  for  some  time  wdien  the  sherif,  whom 
I  mentioned  above,  came  to  pay  me  a  visit,  when  I  learned 
that  he  had  come  to  this  place  by  way  of  Waday  and  Logon, 
and  that  he  had  been  staying  here  already  twenty  days,  being 
engaged  in  building  a  warm  bath  for  the  m'allem,  as  he  had 
also  done  for  the  Sultan  of  Waday. 

The  reader  sees  that  these  wandering  Arabs  are  introducing 
civilization  into  the  very  heart  of  this  continent,  and  it  would 
not  be  amiss  if  they  could  all  boast  of  such  accomplishments ; 
but  this  rarely  happens.  Even  this  very  man  was  a  remarka- 
ble example  of  those  saintly  adventurers  so  frequently  met  with 
in  Negroland,  but  who  begin  to  tire  out  the  j)''^tience  of  the  more 


FAIR-COMPLEXIONED  NATIVES. 


157 


enlightened  princes  of  the  country.  He  brought  me  a  lump  of 
native  home-made  soap,  with  which,  as  he  said,  I  might  "  wash 
my  clothes,  as  I  came  from  the  dirty,  soajpless  country  of  Bor- 
nu."  This  present  was  not  ill-selected,  although  I  hope  that 
the  reader  will  not  thence  conclude  that  I  was  particularly  dirty, 
at  least  not  more  so  than  an  African  traveler  might  be  fairly 
expected  to  be.  I  had  laid  in  a  good  store  of  cloves,  which,  as 
I  have  had  already  occasion  to  mention,  are  highly  esteemed 
here,  so  I  made  him  very  happy  by  giving  him  about  half  a 
pound  weight  of  them. 

More  interesting,  however,  to  me  than  the  visit  of  this  wan- 
dering son  of  the  East  was  the  visit  of  two  young  native  noble- 
men, sons  of  the  Ardo  Jidda,  to  whom  belongs  the  country  be- 
tween Segur  and  Wandala  or  Mandara,  and  the  younger  of 
whom  was  a  remarkably  handsome  man,  of  slender  form,  light 
complexion,  and  a  most  agreeable  expression  of  countenance. 
This,  however,  is  a  remark  which  I  have  often  made  on  my 
travels,  that  the  males  among  the  Fulbe  are  very  handsome  till 
they  reach  the  age  of  about  twenty  years,  when  they  gradually 
assume  an  apish  expression  of  countenance,  which  entirely  spoils 
the  really  Circassian  features  whicli  they  have  in  early  life.  As 
for  the  fem^ales,  they  preserve  their  beauty  much  longer.  While 
these  young  men  were  giving  unrestrained  vent  to  their  admi- 
ration of  my  things,  the  old  m'allem  came  with  a  numerous 
suite  of  attendants,  whereupon  they  drew  shyly  back  and  sat 
silently  at  a  distance.  In  this  part  of  the  world  there  is  a  great 
respect  for  age. 

The  m'allem  and  his  companions  were  not  only  astonished  at 
my  instruments,  but  manifested  much  curiosity  about  the  map 
of  Africa  which  I  unfolded  before  their  eyes,  being  greatly  struck 
by  the  extent  of  the  continent  toward  the  south,  of  which  they 
had  previously  no  idea.  I  shall  show  in  another  part  of  this 
work  how  far  the  Fulbe  have  become  acquainted  with  the  re- 
gions about  the  equator,  and  how  a  faint  rumor  of  the  strong 
pagan  kingdom  of  Muropuwe  has  spread  over  the  kingdoms  of 
North  Central  Africa.  Their  esteem  for  me  increased  when  I 
showed  them  my  little  prayer-book,  which  I  wore  in  a  red  case 


158 


TRAVELS  IN  APRICA. 


slung  round  my  shoulders,  just  as  they  wear  their  Kuran ;  in- 
deed, a  Christian  can  never  be  more  sure  of  acquiring  the  esteem 
of  a  Moslim — at  least  of  a  learned  one — than  when  he  shows 
himself  impressed  with  the  sentiments  of  his  religion ;  but  he 
must  not  be  a  zealous  Koman  Catholic,  nor  broach  doctrines 
which  seem  to  deny  the  unity  of  God.  He  took  great  delight 
in  hearing  a  psalm  of  the  well-known  "nebi  Daud"  (David) 
read  in  English.  He,  as  well  as  almost  all  his  companions, 
spoke  Arabic ;  for,  as  Sarawu  Berebere  is  a  colony  of  Bornu 
people,  Belem  is  a  pure  Arabic  colony,  that  is  to  say,  a  colony 
of  the  Salamat,  a  tribe  widely  scattered  over  Bornu  and  Waday. 
M'allem  O^ro,  or,  as  he  is  popularly  called,  on  account  of  his 
humility  and  devoutness,  M'allem  Dalili,  was  born  in  Waday, 
but  settled  in  Bornu,  from  whence,  at  the  time  of  the  conquest 
of  the  country  by  the  Fulbe  or  Fellata  (in  the  year  1808),  he 
fled,  to  avoid  famine  and  oppression,  like  so  many  other  unfor- 
tunate inhabitants  of  that  kingdom,  and  founded  a  village  in 
this  promising  region.  This  is  the  country  for  colonies,  and  I 
do  not  see  why  a  colony  of  liberated  slaves  of  Sierra  Leone 
might  not  be  advantageously  established  here.  All  these  peo- 
ple wear  indigo-colored  shirts,  and  in  this  manner,  even  by  their 
dress,  are  distinguished  from  the  Fulbe.  They  are  tolerated 
and  protected,  although  a  Pullo  head  man  has  his  residence 
here,  besides  the  m'allem. 

We  were  to  start  in  the  afternoon,  but  my  stupid  Fezzani 
servant,"  Mohammed  ben  Habib,  had  almost  killed  himself  with 
eating  immoderately  of  ground-nuts,  and  was  so  seriously  ill 
that  I  was  reduced  to  the  alternative  either  of  leaving  him  be- 
hind or  waiting  for  him.  Choosing  the  latter,  I  made  a  day  of 
feasting  for  the  whole  of  my  little  company,  the  m'allem  send- 
ing me  a  goat  for  my  people,  a  couple  of  fowls  for  myself,  and 
corn  for  my  horses,  besides  which  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  buy 
,  a  supply  of  rice.  In  consideration  of  his  hospitable  treatment, 
I  sent  the  old  m'allem  a  bit  of  camphor  and  a  parcel  of  cloves. 
Camphor  is  a  most  precious  thing  in  these  regio;is,  and  highly 
esteemed  by  the  nobler  classes,  and  I  can  not  too  strongly  rec- 
ommend a  traveler  to  provide  himself  with  a  supply  of  it.  It 


ARAB  COLONY. 


159 


is  obvious  that  a  small  quantity,  if  well  kept,  will  last  liim  a 
long  time.  He  may  find  an  opportunity  of  laying  a  man  of  first- 
rate  importance  under  lasting  obligations  by  a  present  of  a  small 
piece  of  camphor. 

Tuesday^  June  11th,  We  at  length  set  out  to  continue  our 
journey.  The  morning  was  beautifully  fresh  and  cool  after  the 
last  night's  storm,  the  sky  was  clear,  and  the  country  open  and 
pleasant.  A  fine  grassy  plain,  with  many  patches  of  cultivated 
ground,  extended  on  our  right  to  the  very  foot  of  Mount  Konkel, 
which,  as  I  now  saw,  is  connected  by  a  lower  ridge  with  Mount 
Holma.  We  passed  the  ruins  of  the  village  Bingel,  the  inhab- 
itants of  which  had  transferred  their  settlement  nearer  to  the 
foot  of  the  mountains.  Then  followed  forest,  interrupted  now 
and  then  by  corn-fields.  My  friends,  the  young  sons  of  Ardo 
.Jidda,  accompanied  me  for  full  two  hours  on  horseback,  when 
they  bade  me  a  friendly  farewell,  receiving  each  of  them,  to  his 
great  delight,  a  stone-set  ring,  wliich  I  begged  them  to  present 
to  their  ladies  as  a  memorial  of  the  Christian  traveler.  I  now 
learned  that  the  young  men  were  already  mixing  in  politics : 
the  younger  brother,  who  was  much  the  handsomer,  and  seemed 
to  be  also  the  more  intelligent  of  the  two,  had,  till  recently,  ad- 
ministered the  government  of  his  blind  father's  province,  but  had 
been  deposed  on  account  of  his  friendly  disposition  toward 
Wandala,  having  married  a  princess  of  that  country,  and  the 
management  of  affairs  had  been  transferred  to  his  elder  brother. 

Forest  and  cultivated  ground  alternately  succeeded  each  oth- 
er ;  a  little  after  nine  o'clock  we  passed,  on  our  left,  a  small 
"rumde,"  or  slave-village,  with  ground-nuts  and  holcus  in  the 
fields,  and  most  luxuriant  pasture  all  around.  The  country  ev- 
idently sloped  southward,  and  at  a  little  distance  beyond  the 
village  I  observed  the  first  water-course,  running  decidedly  in 
that  direction ;  on  its  banks  the  corn  stood  already  four  feet 
high.  The  country  now  became  quite  open  to  the  east  and 
south,  and  every  thing  indicated  that  we  were  approaching  the 
great  artery  of  the  country  which  I  was  so  anxious  to  behold. 
In  the  distance  to  the  west  a  range  of  low  hills  was  still  ob- 
servable, but  was  gradually  receding.    About  ten  o'clock  we 


160 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


passed  the  site  of  a  straggling  but  deserted  village,  called  Mela- 
go,  the  inhabitants  of  which  had  likewise  exchanged  their  dwell- 
ing-place in  this  low,  level  country  for  a  more  healthy  one  at 
tlie  foot  of  the  mountains,  where  there  is  another  village  called 
Kofa,  homonymous  with  that  in  the  Marghi  country ;  for  tliis 
district  belongs  to  the  country  of  the  Batta,  a  numerous  tribe 
nearly  related,  as  I  have  stated  above,  to  the  Marghi.  All  the 
ruins  of  the  dwellings  in  Melago  were  of  clay,  and  the  rumbu 
or  rumbuje — the  stacks  of  corn — were  of  a  peculiar  description ; 
fine  corn-fields  spread  around  and  between  the  huts. 

Having  rested  about  noon  for  a  little  more  than  two  hours  on 
a  rather  damp  and  gloomy  spot  near  a  dirty  pond,  we  continued 
our  march,  the  country  now  assuming  a  very  pleasant  park-like 
appearance,  clothed  in  the  most  beautiful  green,  at  times  broken 
by  corn-fields,  where  the  corn — Pennisetiim  or  gero — stood  al- 
ready five  feet  high.  We  soon  had  to  deliberate  on  the  very 
important  question  which  way  to  take,  as  the  road  divided  into 
two  branches,  the  northern  or  western  one  leading  by  way  of 
Bumanda,  while  the  southern  or  eastern  one  went  by  way  of 
Sulleri.  Most  of  my  companions  were  for  the  former  road,  which 
they  represented  as  much  nearer,  and,  as  I  afterward  saw,  with 
the  very  best  reason  ;  but,  fortunately,  the  more  gastronomic  part 
of  the  caravan,  headed  by  Billama,  who  was  rather  fond  of  good 
living,  rejected  Bumanda,  as  being  inliabited  by  poor,  inhospi- 
table pagans,  and  decided  for  the  promising  large  dishes  of  Mo- 
hammedan Sulleri.  This  turned  out  to  be  a  most  fortunate  cir- 
cumstance for  me,  although  the  expectations  of  my  friends  were 
most  sadly  disappointed.  For  if  we  had  followed  the  route  by 
Bumanda,  we  should  have  crossed  the  Benuwe  lower  down,  and 
I  should  not  have  seen  the  ''Tepe,"  that  most  interesting  and 
important  locality,  where  the  Benuwe  is  joined  by  tlie  Faro,  and 
swelled  to  that  majestic  river  which  is  at  least  equal  in  magni- 
tude to  the  Kwara.  Of  this  circumstance  I  was  then  not  aware, 
else  I  should  have  decided  from  the  beginning  for  the  route  by 
Sulleri,  Unfortunately,  owing  to  my  very  short  stay  in  the 
country,  I  can  not  say  exactly  where  Bumanda  lies ;  but  I 
should  suppose  that  it  is  situated  about  ten  miles  lower  down, 


SULLE'RL 


161 


at  a  short  distance  from  the  river,  like  the  place  of  the  same 
name  near  Hamarruwa,*  and  I  think  it  must  lie  opposite  to 
Yola,  so  that  a  person  who  crosses  the  river  at  that  place  goes 
over  directly  to  the  capital,  without  touching  either  at  Ribawo 
or  at  any  of  the  neighboring  places. 

Having,  therefore,  chosen  the  eastern  road,  we  soon  reached 
the  broad,  but  at  present  dry  sandy  channel  of  the  mayo  Tiyel, 
which  runs  in  a  southwesterly  direction  to  join  the  Benuwe ; 
water  was  to  be  found  close  underneath  the  surface  of  the  sand, 
and  several  women,  heavily  laden  with  sets  of  calabashes,  and 
belonging  to  a  troop  of  travelers  encamped  on  the  eastern  bor- 
der of  the  water-course,  were  busy  in  scooping  a  supply  of  most 
excellent  water  from  a  shallow  hollow  or  "  kenkenu."  The 
banks  of  the  river,  or  rather  torrent,  were  lined  with  luxuriant 
trees,  among  which  I  observed  the  dorowa  or  meraya  {Parkid) 
in  considerable  numbers. 

Forest  and  cultivated  ground  now  succeeded  alternately,  till 
we  reached  a  beautiful  little  lake  called  "geref  Pariya"  by  theBat- 
ta,  and  "  barre-n-dake"  by  the  Fulbe,  at  present  about  fourteen 
hundred  yards  long,  and  surrounded  by  tall  grass,  every  where 
impressed  with  tracks  of  the  hippopotami  or  "  ngabba,"  which 
emerge  during  the  night  from  their  watery  abode  to  indulge  here 
quietly  in  a  rich  pasturage.  This  is  the  usual  camping-ground 
of  expeditions  which  come  this  way.  A  little  beyond  this  lake 
a  path  branched  off  from  our  road  to  the  right,  leading  to  Kodi, 
a  place  of  the  Batta,  whose  villages,  according  to  Mohammedu's 
statement,  are  all  fortified  with  stockades,  and  situated  in  strong- 
positions  naturally  protected  by  rocky  mounts  and  ridges. 

There  had  been  a  storm  in  the  afternoon  at  some  distance ; 
but  when  the  sun  was  setting,  and  just  as  we  began  to  wind 
along  a  narrow  path  through  a  thick  forest,  a  black  tempest 
gathered  over  our  heads.    At  length  we  reached  the  fields  of 

*  Bumancla  probably  means  a  ford,  or  rather  place  of  embarkation.  It  can 
scarcely  have  any  connection  with  the  Kanuri  word  ''manda,"  meaning  salt,  al- 
though salt  is  obtained  in  the  western  place  of  this  name. 

t  This  word  " gere"  is  identical  with  "ere"  or  "arre,"  the  name  the  Miisgn 
give  to  the  river  of  Logon. 

Vol.  it.— L 


162 


TRAVELS  IN  APRICA. 


Sulleri,  and,  having  stumbled  along  them  in  the  deepest  dark- 
ness, illumined  only  at  intervals  by  flashes  of  lightning,  we  en- 
tered the  place  and  pushed  our  way  through  the  narrow  streets, 
looking  round  in  vain  for  Ibrahima,  who  had  gone  on  to  procure 
quarters. 

To  our  great  disappointment,  we  found  the  house  of  the  gov- 
ernor shut  up  ;  and,  notwithstanding  our  constant  firing  and 
knocking  at  the  door,  nobody  came  to  open  it,  while  the  heavy 
clouds  began  to  discharge  their  watery  load  over  our  heads.  At 
length,  driven  to  despair,  we  turned  round,  and  by  force  enter- 
ed his  son's  house,  which  was  situated  opposite  to  his  own. 
Here  I  took  possession  of  one  side  of  the  spacious,  clean,  and 
cool  entrance-hall,  which  was  separated  from  the  thoroughfare 
by  a  little  balustrade  raised  above  the  floor.  Spreading  my 
mat  and  carpet  upon  the  pebbles  with  which,  as  is  the  general 
custom  here,  it  was  strewn,  I  indulged  in  comfort  and  repose 
after  the  fatiguing  day's  march,  while  outside  the  tempest,  and 
inside  the  landlord,  were  raging,  the  latter  being  extremely  angry 
with  Billama  on  account  of  our  forced  entry.  Not  the  slightest 
sign  of  hospitality  was  shown  to  us ;  and  instead  of  regaling 
themselves  with  the  expected  luxurious  dishes  of  Sulleri,  my 
companions  had  to  go  supperless  to  bed,  while  the  poor  horses 
remained  without  any  thing  to  eat,  and  were  drenched  with  the 
rain. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE  MEETING  OF  THE  WATEES.  THE  BENUWE  AND  FaRO. 

Wednesday^  June  \^th.  At  an  early  hour  we  left  the  inhos- 
pitable place  of  Sulleri.  It  was  a  beautiful  fresh  morning,  all 
nature  being  revived  and  enlivened  by  the  last  night's  storm. 
My  companions,  sullen  and  irritated,  quarreled  among  them- 
selves on  account  of  the  selfish  behavior  of  Ibrahima.  As  for 
me,  I  was  cheerful  in  the  extreme,  and  borne  away  by  an  enthu- 
siastic and  triumphant  feeling,  for  to-day  I  was  to  see  the  river. 


MOUNT  ALANTI'KA  AND  THE  BE'NUWE'.  163 


The  neighborhood  of  the  water  was  first  indicated  by  num- 
bers of  high  ant-hills,  which,  as  I  shall  have  occasion  to  ob- 
serve more  fully  in  the  course  of  my  narrative,  abound  chiefly 
in  the  neighborhood  of  rivers ;  they  were  here  ranged  in  almost 
parallel  lines,  and  afforded  a  very  curious  spectacle.  We  had 
just  passed  a  small  village  or  rumde,  where  not  a  living  soul 
was  to  be  seen,  the  people  having  all  gone  forth  to  the  labors 
of  the  field,  when  the  lively  Mohammedu  came  running  up  to 
me,  and  exclaimed  ''Gashi,  gashi,  dutsi-n-Alantika  ke  nan" 
("  Look !  look !  that  is  Mount  Alantika").  I  strained  my  eyes, 
and  saw,  at  a  great  distance  to  the  S.W.,  a  large  but  insulated 
mountain  mass,  rising  abruptly  on  the  east  side,  and  forming  a 
more  gradual  slope  toward  the  west,  while  it  exhibited  a  rather 
smooth  and  broad  top,  which  certainly  must  be  spacious,  as  it 
contains  the  estates  of  seven  independent  pagan  chiefs.  Judg- 
ing from  the  distance,  which  was  pretty  well  known  to  me,  I 
estimated  the  height  of  the  mountain  at  about  eight  thousand 
feet  of  absolute  elevation ;  but  it  may  be  somewhat  less. 

Here  there  was  still  cultivated  ground,  exhibiting  at  present 
the  finest  crop  of  masr,  called  "butali"  by  the  Fulbe  of  A^da- 
mawa  ;  but  a  little  farther  on  we  entered  upon  a  swampy  plain 
(the  savannas  of  A^damawa),  overgrown  with  tall  rank  grass, 
and  broken  by  many  large  hollows  full  of  water,  so  that  wc 
were  obliged  to  proceed  with  great  caution.  This  whole  plain 
is  annually  (two  months  later)  entirely  under  water.  Howev- 
er, in  the  middle  of  it,  on  a  little  rising  ground,  which  looks  as 
if  it  were  an  artificial  mound,  lies  a  small  village,  the  abode  of 
the  ferryman  of  the  Benuwe,  from  whence  the  boys  came  run- 
ning after  us — slender,  well-built  lads,  accustomed  to  fatigue, 
and  strengthened  by  daily  bathing ;  the  younger  ones  quite  na- 
ked, the  elder  having  a  leathern  apron  girt  round  their  loins. 
A  quarter  of  an  hour  afterward  we  stood  on  the  bank  of  the 
Benuwe.* 

*  I  heard  the  name  pronounced  in  this  way,  but  lower  down  it  may  be  pro- 
nounced Bi-nuwe.  However,  I  have  to  remark  that  Mr.  Petermann  changed  the 
e  into  an  f  from  mere  mistake ;  and  I  do  not  know  whether  the  members  of  the 
Chadda  expedition  had  sufficient  authority  for  writing  the  name  in  this  way. 
The  word  belongs  to  the  Batta  language,  where  water  is  called    bee"  or  "bej" 


164 


TRAVELS  m  AFRICA. 


It  happens  but  rarely  that  a  traveler  does  not  feel  disappoint- 
ed when  he  iirst  actually  beholds  the  principal  features  of  a  new 
country,  of  which  his  imagination  has  composed  a  picture,  from 
the  description  of  the  natives  ;  but,  although  I  must  admit  that 
the  shape  and  size  of  the  Alantika,  as  it  rose  in  rounded  lines 
from  the  flat  level,  did  not  exactly  correspond  with  the  idea 
which  I  had  formed  of  it,  the  appearance  of  the  river  far  exceed- 
ed my  most  lively  expectations.  None  of  my  informants  had 
promised  me  that  I  should  just  come  upon  it  at  that  most  in- 
teresting locality — the  Tepe* — where  the  mightier  river  is  join- 
ed by  another  of  very  considerable  size,  and  that  in  this  place 
I  was  to  cross  it.  My  arrival  at  this  point,  as  I  have  stated 
before,  was  a  most  fortunate  circumstance.  As  I  looked  from 
the  bank  over  the  scene  before  me,  I  was  quite  enchanted,  al- 
though the  whole  country  bore  the  character  of  a  desolate  wil- 
derness ;  but  there  could  scarcely  be  any  great  traces  of  human 
industry  near  the  river,  as  during  its  floods  it  inundates  the 
whole  country  on  both  sides.  This  is  the  general  character  of 
all  the  great  rivers  in  these  regions,  except  where  they  are  en- 
compassed by  very  steep  banks. 

The  principal  river,  the  Benuwe,  flowed  here  from  east  to 
west,  in  a  broad  and  majestic  course,  through  an  entirely  open 
country,  from  which  only  here  and  there  detached  mountains 
started  forth.  The  banks  on  our  side  rose  to  twenty-five,  and 
in  some  places  to  thirty  feet,  while  just  opposite  to  my  station, 
behind  a  pointed  headland  of  sand,  the  Faro  rushed  forth,  ap- 
pearing from  this  point  not  much  inferior  to  the  principal  river, 
and  coming  in  a  fine  sweep  from  the  southeast,  where  it  disap- 
peared in  the  plain,  but  was  traced  by  me,  in  thought,  upward 
to  the  steep  eastern  foot  of  the  Alantika.  The  river,  below  the 
junction,  keeping  the  direction  of  the  principal  branch,  but  mak- 
ing; a  slight  bend  to  the  north,  ran  along^  the  northern  foot  of 

but  in  kindred  dialects  it  is  called  "bl."  "  Nuwe"  means  the  mother;  and  the 
whole  name  means  "mother  of  water."  The  name,  therefore,  properly,  is  of  the 
feminine  gender. 

*  "Tepe"  is  a  Pullo,  or  rather  Fulfiilde  word,  meaning  "junction,"  "conflu- 
ence," which,  by  the  Western  Fiilbe,  would  be  called  "  fotterde  maje.  In  Hausa 
the  name  is  "magangamu." 


THE  GREAT  ARM  OF  THE  KWA'RA. 


167 


Mount  Bagele,  and  was  there  lost  to  the  eye,  but  was  followed 
in  thought  through  the  mountainous  region  of  the  Bachama  and 
Zina  to  Hamarruwa,  and  thence  along  the  industrious  country 
Kororofa,  till  it  joined  the  great  western  river,  the  Kwara  or 
Niger,  and,  conjointly  with  it,  ran  toward  the  great  ocean. 

On  the  northern  side  of  the  river  another  detached  mountain, 
Mount  Taife,  rose,  and  behind  it  the  Bengo,  with  which  Mount 
Furo  seemed  connected,  stretching  out  in  a  long  line  toward  the 
northwest.  The  bank  upon  which  we  stood  was  entirely  bare 
of  trees,  with  the  exception  of  a  solitary  and  poor  acacia,  about 
one  hundred  paces  farther  up  the  river,  while  on  the  opposite 
shore,  along  the  Faro  and  below  the  junction,  some  fine  clusters 
of  trees  were  faintly  seen. 

■  I  looked  long  and  silently  upon  the  stream ;  it  was  one  of 
the  happiest  moments  in  my  life.  Born  on  the  bank  of  a  large 
navigable  river,  in  a  commercial  place  of  great  energy  and  life, 
I  had  from  my  childhood  a  great  predilection  for  river  scenery ; 
and  although  plunged  for  many  years  in  the  too  exclusive  study 
of  antiquity,  I  never  lost  this  native  instinct.  As  soon  as  I  left 
home,  and  became  the  independent  master  of  my  actions,  I  be- 
gan to  combine  travel  with  study,  and  to  study  while  traveling, 
it  being  my  greatest  delight  to  trace  running  waters  from  their 
sources,  and  to  see  them  grow  into  brooks,  to  follow  the  brooks 
and  see  them  become  rivers,  till  they  at  last  disappeared  in  the 
all-devouring  ocean.  I  had  wandered  all  around  the  Mediter- 
ranean, with  its  many  gulfs,  its  beautiful  peninsulas,  its  fertile 
islands — not  hurried  along  by  steam,  but  slowly  wandering  from 
place  to  place,  following  the  traces  of  the  settlements  of  the 
Greeks  and  Eomans  around  this  beautiful  basin,  once  their  ter- 
ra incognita.  And  thus,  when  entering  upon  the  adventurous 
career  in  which  I  subsequently  engaged,  it  had  been  the  object 
of  my  most  lively  desire  to  throw  light  upon  the  natural  arte- 
ries and  hydrographical  network  of  the  unknown  regions  of 
Central  Africa.  The  great  eastern  branch  of  the  Niger  was  the 
foremost  to  occupy  my  attention ;  and,  although  for  some  time 
uncertain  as  to  the  identity  of  the  river  of  A^damawa  with  that 
laid  down  in  its  lower  course  by  Messrs,  W.  Allen,  Laird,  and 


168 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Oldfield,  I  had  long  made  up  my  mind  on  this  point,  thanks  to 
the  clear  information  received  from  my  friend  Ahmed  bel  Mejub. 
I  had  now,  with  my  own  eyes,  clearly  established  the  direction 
and  nature  of  this  mighty  river,  and  to  an  unprejudiced  mind 
there  could  no  longer  be  any  doubt  that  this  river  joins  the  ma- 
jestic water-course  explored  by  the  gentlemen  just  mentioned.* 
Hence  I  cherish  the  well-founded  conviction  that  along  this 
natural  high  road  European  influence  and  commerce  will  pene- 
trate into  the  very  heart  of  the  continent,  and  abolish  slavery, 
or,  rather,  those  infamous  slave-hunts  and  religious  wars,  de- 
stroying the  natural  germs  of  human  happiness  which  are  spon- 
taneously developed  in  the  simple  life  of  the  pagans,  and  spread- 
ing devastation  and  desolation  all  around. 

We  descended  toward  the  place  of  embarkation,  which,  at 
this  season  of  the  year,  changes  every  week,  or  even  more  fre- 
quently. At  present  it  was  at  the  mouth  of  a  small,  deeply- 
worn  channel  or  dry  water-course,  descending  from  the  swampy 
meadow-grounds  toward  the  river,  and  filled  with  tall  reed- 
grass  and  bushes.  Here  was  the  poor  little  naval  arsenal  of 
the  Tepe,  consisting  of  three  canoes,  two  in  good  repair,  and  a 
third  one  in  a  state  of  decay  and  unfit  for  service. 

It  was  now  that  for  the  first  time  I  saw  these  rude  little 
shells,  hollowed  out  of  a  single  trunk — for  the  boats  of  the 
Budduma  are  more  artificial,  being  made  of  a  number  of  boards 
joined  together ;  and  I  soon  began  to  eye  these  frail  canoes  with 
rather  an  anxious  feeling,  as  I  was  about  to  trust  myself  and  all 
my  property  to  what  seemed  to  offer  very  inadequate  means  of 
crossing  with  safety  a  large  and  deep  river.  They  measured 
from  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  in  length,  and  only  from  a  foot  to  a 
foot  and  a  half  in  height,  and  sixteen  inches  in  width,  and  one 
of  them  was  so  crooked  that  I  could  scarcely  imagine  how  it 
could  stem  the  strong  current  of  the  river. 

*  That  this  river  is  any  where  called  Chadda,  or  even  Tsadda,  I  doubt  very 
much ;  and  I  am  surprised  that  the  members  of  the  late  expedition  in  the  "Plei- 
ad" do  not  say  a  word  on  this  point.  I  think  the  name  Chadda  was  a  mere  mis- 
take of  Lander's,  confirmed  by  Allen,  owing  to  their  fancying  it  an  outlet  of  Lake 
Tsad- 


CANOES.— A  BATH.— GOLD. 


169 


On  the  river  itself  two  canoes  were  plying,  but,  notwithstand- 
ing our  repeated  hallooing  and  firing,  the  canoemen  would  not 
come  to  our  side  of  the  river ;  perhaps  they  were  afraid.  Eov- 
ing  about  along  the  bushy  water- course,  1  found  an  old  canoe, 
which,  being  made  of  two  very  large  trunks  joined  together,  had 
been  incomparably  more  comfortable  and  spacious  than  the  ca- 
noes now  in  use,  although  the  joints,  being  made  with  cordage, 
just  like  the  stitching  of  a  shirt,  and  without  pitching  the  holes, 
which  were  only  stuffed  with  grass,  necessarily  allowed  the  wa- 
ter to  penetrate  continually  into  the  boat.  It,  however,  had  the 
great  advantage  of  not  breaking  if  it  ran  upon  a  rock,  being  in 
a  certain  degree  pliable.  It  was  about  thirty-five  feet  long,  and 
twenty-six  inches  wide  in  the  middle ;  but  it  was  now  out  of 
repair,  and  was  lying  upside  down.  It  was  from  this  point, 
standing  upon  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  that  I  made  the  sketch 
of  this  most  interesting  locality. 

The  canoemen  still  delaying  to  come,  I  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  of  taking  a  river-bath,  a  luxury  which  I  had  not  en- 
joyed since  bathing  in  the  Eurymedon.  The  river  is  full  of 
crocodiles,  but  there  could  be  little  danger  from  these  animals 
after  all  our  firing  and  the  constant  noise  of  so  many  people. 
I  had  not  yet  arrived  at  the  conviction  that  river-bathing  is  not 
good  for  a  European  in  a  tropical  climate ;  but  this  was  the  first 
and  last  time  that  I  bathed  voluntarily,  with  a  single  exception ; 
for,  when  navigating  the  river  of  Logon  on  a  fine  day  in  March, 
1852, 1  could  not  help  jumping  overboard,  and  on  my  return 
from  Bagirmi,  in  August,  1853, 1  was  obliged  to  do  it. 

The  bed  of  the  river,  after  the  first  foot  and  a  half,  sloped 
down  very  gradually,  so  that  at  the  distance  of  thirty  yards 
from  the  shore  I  had  not  more  than  three  feet  and  a  half  of  wa- 
ter, but  then  it  suddenly  became  deep.  The  current  was  so 
strong  that  I  was  unable  to  stem  it ;  but  my  original  strength,  I 
must  allow,  was  at  the  time  already  greatly  reduced.  The  only 
advantage  which  I  derived  from  this  feat  was  that  of  learning 
that  the  river  carries  gold  with  it ;  for  the  people,  as  often  as  I 
dipped  under  water,  cried  out  that  I  was  searching  for  this  met- 
al, and  when  I  came  out  of  the  water,  were  persuaded  that  I 


170 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


liad  obtained  plenty  of  it.  However,  the  river  was  already  too 
full  for  investigating  this  matter  further. 

At  length  a  canoe  arrived,  the  largest  of  the  two  that  were  act- 
ually employed,  and  a  long  bargaining  commenced  with  the  eld- 
est of  the  canoemen,  a  rather  short  and  well-set  lad.  Of  course, 
as  the  chief  of  the  caravan,  I  had  to  pay  for  all ;  and  there  be- 
ing three  camels  and  five  horses  to  be  carried  over,  it  was  cer- 
tainly a  difficult  business.  It  can  not,  therefore,  be  regarded 
as  a  proof  of  exorbitant  demands  that  I  had  to  pay  five  "  do- 
ras,"  a  sum  which  in  Kukawa  would  buy  two  oxen  loads  of 
Indian  corn.  I  allowed  all  the  people  to  go  before  me,  in  order 
to  prevent  the  canoemen  from  exacting  something  more  from 
them. 

There  was  considerable  difficulty  with  my  large  camel-bags, 
which  were  far  too  large  for  the  canoes,  and  which  several  times 
were  in  danger  of  being  upset ;  for  they  were  so  unsteady  that 
the  people  were  obliged  to  kneel  down  on  the  bottom,  and  keep 
their  equilibrium  by  holding  with  both  hands  on  the  sides  of 
the  boat.  Fortunately,  I  had  laid  my  tent-poles  at  the  bottom 
of  the  canoe,  so  that  the  water  did  not  reach  the  luggage ;  but, 
owing  to  the  carelessness  of  the  Hajji's  companions,  all  his  books 
were  wetted,  to  his  utmost  distress ;  but  I  saw  him  afterward 
shedding  tears  while  he  was  drying  his  deteriorated  treasures 
on  the  sandy  beach  of  the  headland.  The  horses,  as  they  cross- 
ed, swimming  by  the  sides  of  the  canoe,  had  to  undergo  great 
fatigue ;  but  desperate  was  the  struggle  of  the  camels,  which 
were  too  obstinate  to  be  guided  by  the  frail  vessels,  and  had  to 
be  pushed  through  alone,  and  could  only  be  moved  by  the  most 
severe  beating ;  the  camel  of  the  Hajji  was  for  a  while  given  up 
in  despair  by  the  whole  party.  At  length  they  were  induced 
to  cross  the  channel,  the  current  carrying  them  down  to  a  great 
distance,  and  our  whole  party  arrived  safe  on  the  sandy  beach 
of  the  headland,  where  there  was  not  a  bit  of  shade.  This 
whole  headland  for  two  or  three  months  every  year  is  covered 
with  water,  although  its  chief  part,  which  was  overgrown  with 
tall  reed-grass,  was  at  present  about  fifteen  feet  above  the  sur- 
face. 


THE  KIVER  FA'EO. 


171 


The  river,  where  we  crossed  it,  was,  at  the  very  least,  eight 
hundred  yards  broad,  and  in  its  channel  generally  eleven  feet 
deep,  and  was  liable  to  rise,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  at 
least  thirty,  or  even  at  times  fifty  feet  liigher.  Its  upper  course 
at  that  time  was  known  to  me,  as  far  as  the  town  of  Gewe  on 
the  road  to  Logon ;  but  farther  on  I  had  only  heard  from  the 
natives  that  it  came  from  the  south,  or  rather  from  the  S.S.E. 

It  was  a  quarter  before  one  o'clock  when  we  left  the  beach 
in  order  to  cross  the  second  river,  the  Faro,*  which  is  stated  to 
come  from  Mount  Labul,  about  seven  days'  march  to  the  south. 
It  was  at  present  about  six  hundred  yards  broad,  but  generally 
not  exceeding  two  feet  in  depth,  although  almost  all  my  inform- 
ants had  stated  to  me  that  the  Faro  was  the  principal  river. 
The  reason  of  this  mistake  was,  I  think,  that  they  had  never 
seen  the  two  rivers  at  this  place,  but  observed  the  Faro  near 
Gurin,  where,  a  little  later  in  the  season,  it  seems  to  be  of  an 
immense  breadth,  particularly  if  they  crossed  from  Bundang : 
or  they  were  swayed  by  the  great  length  of  the  latter  river, 
which  they  were  acquainted  with  in  its  whole  course,  while 
none  of  them  had  followed  the  upper  course  of  the  Benuwe. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  the  current  of  the  Faro  was  extremely  vi- 
olent, far  more  so  than  that  of  the  Benuwe,  approaching,  in  my 
estimation,  a  rate  of  about  five  miles,  while  I  would  rate  the 
former  at  about  three  and  a  half  miles  an  hour,  the  current  of 
the  Faro  plainly  indicating  that  the  mountainous  region  whence 
it  issued  was  at  no  great  distance.  In  order  to  avoid  the  stron- 
gest part  of  the  current,  which  swept  along  the  southern  shore, 
we  kept  close  to  a  small  island,  which,  however,  at  present 
could  still  be  reached  from  this  side  with  dry  feet.  We  then 
entered  upon  low  meadow-land,  overgrown  with  taU  reed-grass, 
which  a  month  later  is  entirely  inundated  to  such  a  depth  that 
only  the  crowns  of  the  tallest  trees  are  seen  rising  above  the 
water,  of  which  they  bore  unmistakable  traces,  the  highest  line 
thus  marked  being  about  fifty  feet  above  the  present  level  of 

*  I  did  not  even  once  hear  this  name  pronounced  Paro,  but  lower  down  it  may 
be  so ;  for,  as  I  have  had  several  times  occasion  to  state,  p  and  or  rather  ph^ 
are  frequently  confounded  in  Negroland,  just  as  r  and  /,  dh  and  /  or  r. 


172 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


the  river ;  for  of  course  the  inundation  does  not  always  reach 
the  same  height,  but  varies  according  to  the  greater  or  less 
abundance  of  the  rains.  The  information  of  my  companions, 
as  well  as  the  evident  marks  on  the  ground,  left  not  the  least 
doubt  about  the  immense  rise  of  these  rivers.*' 

For  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  present  margin  of  the  river, 
near  a  large  and  beautiful  tamarind-tree,  we  ascended  its  outer 
bank,  rising  to  the  height  of  about  thirty  feet,  the  brink  of  which 
is  not  only  generally  reached  by  the  immense  inundation,  but 
even  sometimes  overflowed,  so  that  the  people  who  cross  it  dur- 
ing the  height  of  the  inundation,  leaving  the  canoes  here,  have 
still  to  make  their  way  through  deep  water,  covering  this  high- 
est level. 

My  companions  from  A^damawa  were  almost  unanimous  in 
spontaneously  representing  the  waters  as  preserving  their  high- 
est level  for  forty  days,  which,  according  to  their  accounts,  would 
extend  from  about  the  20th  of  August  till  the  end  of  Septem- 
ber. This  statement  of  mine,  made,  not  from  my  own  experi- 
ence, but  from  the  information  of  the  natives,  has  been  slightly, 
but  indeed  very  slightly,  modified  by  the  experience  of  those 
eminent  men  who,  upon  the  reports  which  I  forwarded  of  my 
discovery,  were  sent  out  by  her  majesty's  government  in  the 
"Pleiad,"  and  who  succeeded  in  reaching  the  point  down  to 
which  I  had  been  able  to  delineate  the  course  of  the  river  with 
some  degree  of  certainty.  That  the  fall  of  the  river  at  this 
point  of  the  junction  begins  at  the  very  end  of  September  has 
been  exactly  confirmed  by  these  gentlemen,  while  with  regard 
to  the  forty  days  they  have  not  made  any  distinct  observation, 
although  there  is  evidence  enough  that  they  experienced  some- 
thing confirmatory  of  it.f 

*  This  immense  rise  of  the  river  agrees  perfectly  with  the  experience  ofMessrs. 
Laird  and  Oldfield,  who,  from  absolute  measurement,  found  the  ditference  in  the 
level  of  the  water  at  Idda  in  the  course  of  the  year  nearly  GO  feet.  See  their 
Journal,  vol.  ii.,  p.  276,  and  p.  420  note,  "57  to  60  feet." 

t  There  was  a  very  serious  discrepancy  among  those  gentlemen  with  regard 
to  the  fall  of  the  river.  Dr.  Baikie  states,  in  his  journal  Avhich  recently  appear- 
ed, p.  230,  that  "  the  water  first  showed  decided  signs  of  falling  about  the  3d  of 
October,  and  by  the  5th  the  decrease  was  very  perceptible."    If,  therefore,  the 


CHABAJA'ULE.— GRAIN. 


173 


On  leaving  the  outer  bank  of  the  river  our  way  led  through  a 
fine  park-like  plain,  dotted  with  a  few  mimosas  of  middling 
size,  and  clear  of  underwood.  The  sides  of  the  path  were 
strewn  with  skeletons  of  horses,  marking  the  line  followed  by 
the  late  expedition  of  the  Governor  of  Yola,  on  its  return  from 
Lere,  or  the  Mbana  country.  Having  then  entered  upon  culti- 
vated ground,  we  reached  the  first  cluster  of  huts  of  the  large, 
straggling  village  Chabajaure  or  Chabajaule,  situated  in  a  most 
fertile  and  slightly  undulating  tract,  and,  having  kept  along  it 
for  little  less  than  a  mile  and  a  half,  we  took  up  our  quarters  in 
a  solitary  and  secluded  cluster  of  huts,  including  a  very  spa- 
cious court-yard. 

It  was  a  sign  of  warm  hospitality  that,  although  the  whole 
caravan  had  fallen  to  the  charge  of  a  single  household,  sufficient 
quantities,  not  only  of  "nyiro,"the  common  dish  of  Indian 
corn,  but  even  of  meat,  were  brought  to  us  in  the  evening. 
While  passing  the  village  I  had  observed  that  all  the  corn  on 
the  fields  was  "gerori,"  ox  JPennisetiim  (millet — dukhn),  a  kind 
of  grain  originally,  it  would  seem,  so  strange  to  the  Fulbe  that 
they  have  not  even  a  word  of  their  own  for  it,  having  only  mod- 
ified a  little  the  Hausa  word  "  gero ;"  not  a  single  blade  of 
"bairi,"  or  sorghum,  was  to  be  seen.    The  scarcity  was  less 

river  began  to  fall  at  Zhibu  on  the  3d  of  October,  the  fall  would  commence  at 
the  Tepe,  more  than  200  miles  higher  up  along  the  windings  of  the  river,  at  least 
three  days  before,  if  we  take  the  current  at  three  miles  an  hour.  My  statement, 
therefore,  that  the  river  begins  decidedly  to  fall  at  the  confluence  at  the  very  end 
of  September  has  been  singularly  confirmed.  But  that  there  is  also  some  truth 
with  regard  to  the  long  continuance  of  the  highest  level  is  evident  from  the  con- 
flicting observations  of  the  party.  (See  Baikie's  Journal,  p.  217.)  Indeed,  the 
sailing-master  insisted  that  the  river  had  fallen  long  before,  and  all  the  people 
were  puzzled  about  it.  From  all  this  I  must  conclude  that  viy  statement  with  re- 
gard to  the  river,  instead  of  having  been  considerably  modified  by  the  expedition, 
has  been  confirmed  by  their  experience  in  all  its  principal  points.  We.  shall  see  the 
same  difficulty  recur  with  regard  to  a  maximum  level  preserved  for  forty  days 
by  the  western  river,  although  the  time  when  it  begins  to  fall  is  entirely  differ- 
ent ;  and  as  to  the  latter  river,  not  only  I,  but  the  natives  also,  were  mistaken 
with  respect  to  its  presumed  time  of  falling.  The  same  is  the  case  with  the 
(river)  Shari,  and  is  natural  enough,  considering  the  extensive  inundations  with 
which  the  rise  of  these  African  rivers  is  attended.  This  state  of  the  rivers  in 
the  tropical  climes  is  so  irregular  that  Leo  Africanus  has  made  quite  the  same 
observation.    L.  i.,  c.  28,  Descrizione  dell'  Africa. 


174 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


felt  here  than  in  the  northern  districts  of  the  country,  and  we 
bought  some  grain  for  our  horses  as  a  supply  for  the  next 
day. 

Thursday,  June  \^th.  We  started  early  in  the  morning, 
continuing  along  the  straggling  hamlets  and  rich  corn-fields  of 
Chabajaule  for  a  mile  and  a  half,  when  we  passed  two  slave- 
villages  or  "rumde"  belonging  to  a  rich  Pullo  of  the  name  of 
Hanuri.  All  the  meadows  were  beautifully  adorned  with  white 
violet-striped  lilies.  We  then  entered  a  wooded  tract,  ascend- 
ing at  the  same  time  considerably  on  the  hilly  ground  which 
juts  out  from  the  foot  of  Mount  Bagele,  and  which  allowed  us 
a  clearer  view  of  the  geological  character  of  the  mountain. 
Having  again  emerged  from  the  forest  upon  an  open,  cultivated, 
and  populous  district,  we  passed  the  large  village  of  Dull,  and, 
having  descended  and  reascended  again,  we  obtained  a  most 
beautiful  view  near  the  village  Gurore,  which  lies  on  rising 
ground,  surrounded  by  a  good  many  large  monkey-bread-trees, 
or  bodoje  {sing,  bokki) ;  for  from  this  elevated  spot  we  enjoy- 
ed a  prospect  over  the  beautiful  meadow-lands  sloping  gently 
down  toward  the  river,  which  from  this  spot  is  not  much  more 
than  five  miles  distant,  taking  its  course  between  Mounts  Ben- 
go  and  Bagele,  and  washing  the  foot  of  the  latter,  but  not  visi- 
ble to  us.  The  country  continued  beautiful  and  pleasant,  and 
was  here  enlivened  by  numerous  herds  of  cattle,  while  in  the 
villages  which  we  had  passed  I  had  seen  none,  as  the  Fulbe 
drive  their  cattle  frequently  to  very  distant  grazing  grounds. 

While  marching  along  at  a  good  pace,  Mohammedu  walked 
up  to  me,  and,  with  a  certain  feeling  of  pride,  showed  me  his 
fields,  "gashi  gonakma."  Though  a  poor  man,  he  was  master 
of  three  slaves,  a  very  small  fortune  in  a  conquered  and  newly- 
colonized  country  like  A^damawa,  based  entirely  upon  slavery, 
where  many  individuals  have  each  more  than  a  thousand  slaves. 
I  was  greatly  surprised  to  see  here  a  remarkable  specimen  of  a 
bokki  or  monkey-bread-tree,  branching  off*  from  the  ground  into 
three  separate  trunks  ;  at  least,  I  never  remember  to  have  seen 
any  thing  like  it,  although  the  tree  is  the  most  common  repre- 
sentative of  the  vegetable  kingdom  through  the  whole  breadth 


MOUNT  BA'GELE'. 


175 


of  Central  Africa.  All  the  ground  to  the  right  of  the  path  is 
inundated  during  the  height  of  the  flood. 

We  had  now  closely  approached  the  Bagele,  the  summit  of 
which,  though  not  very  high,  is  generally  enveloped  in  clouds, 
a  fact  which,  when  conveyed  to  me  in  the  obscure  language  of 
the  natives,  had  led  me  to  the  misconception  while  writing,  in 
Kukawa,  my  report  of  the  provisional  information  I  had  ob- 
tained of  the  country  whither  I  was  about  to  proceed,  that  this 
mountain  was  of  volcanic  character.  It  seems  to  consist  chiefly 
of  granite,  and  has  a  very  rugged  surface,  strewn  with  great  ir- 
regular blocks,  from  between  which  trees  shoot  up.  Neverthe- 
less, stretching  out  to  a  length  of  several  miles  from  S.S.E.  to 
N.N.W.,  it  contains  a  good  many  spots  of  arable  land,  which 
support  eighteen  little  hamlets  of  independent  pagans.  These, 
protected  by  the  inaccessible  character  of  their  strongholds, 
and  their  formidable  double  spears,  have  not  only  been  able 
hitherto  to  repulse  all  the  attacks  which  the  proud  Mohammed- 
ans, the  centre  of  whose  government  is  only  a  few  miles  dis- 
tant, have  made  against  them,  but,  descending  from  their  haunts, 
commit  almost  daily  depredations  upon  the  cattle  of  their  ene- 
mies.* One  of  theii  little  hamlets,  perched  on  the  top  of  steep 
cliffs,  we  could  plainly  distinguish  by  the  recently-thatched  roofs 
of  the  huts,  the  snow-white  color  of  which  very  conspicuously 
shone  forth  from  the  dark  masses  of  the  rock.  The  country 
was  always  gaining  in  interest  as  we  advanced,  the  meadow- 
lands  being  covered  with  living  creatures  of  every  description, 
such  as  cattle,  horses,  asses,  goats,  and  sheep,  and  we  reached 
the  easternmost  cluster  of  huts  of  the  large  straggling  village  or 

*  I  leave  this  passage  as  it  stood  in  my  journal,  although  it  describes  a  state 
of  things  which  now,  in  1857,  belongs  to  the  past.  This  stronghold,  also,  has  at 
length  been  taken  by  the  intruders,  and  the  seat  of  happiness  and  independence 
converted  into  a  region  of  desolation.  In  1853,  two  years  after  my  journey  to 
A'damawa,  Mohammed  Lowel  left  his  residence  with  a  great  host,  having  sworn 
not  to  return  before  he  had  reduced  Bagele.  After  a  siege  of  almost  two  months, 
with  the  assistance  of  a  few  muskets,  he  succeeded  in  conquering  the  mountain- 
eers, and  reducing  them  to  slavery.  The  chief  of  the  pagans  of  the  Bagele,  who 
belong  to  theBatta  tribe,  in  the  height  of  his  power  exercised  paramount  author- 
ity over  the  neighboring  tribes,  and  is  said  to  have  even  had  the  ^^jus  primcc  noc- 

lisr 


176 


TRAVELS  IN  iVFRICA. 


district  of  Ribawo  or  Ribago,*  stretching  out  on  our  left  on  a 
little  rising  ground.  This  district  is  not  only  rich  in  corn  and 
pasturage,  but  also  in  fish,  which  are  most  plentiful  in  a  large 
inlet  or  backwater,  "illagul,"  as  it  is  called  by  the  Fulbe,  branch- 
ing off  from  the  river  along  the  northeast  foot  of  the  Bagele,  and 
closely  approaching  the  village.  In  this  shallow  water  the  fish 
are  easily  caught. 

Numbers  of  inquisitive  people  of  every  age  and  sex  gathered 
round  us  from  the  neighboring  hamlets ;  but,  while  hovering 
round  me  and  the  camels  with  great  delight,  they  behaved  very 
decently  and  quietly.  They  followed  us  till  we  took  up  our 
quarters,  a  little  before  ten  o'clock,  with  a  friend  of  Billama's,  in 
a  large  group  of  huts  lying  close  to  the  path,  and  shaded  by 
most  luxuriant  trees.  Although  there  were  several  clean  huts, 
I  preferred  the  cool  and  ventilated  entrance-hall  of  the  same  de- 
scription as  I  have  mentioned  above,  and  remained  here  even 
during  the  night,  although  a  most  terrible  storm,  which  broke 
out  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  lasted  full  four  hours, 
flooded  the  whole  ground,  and  rendered  my  resting-place  rather 
too  cool.  I  would  advise  other  travelers  not  to  follow  my  ex- 
ample during  the  rainy  season,  but  rather  to  make  themselves 
comfortable  in  the  warm  interior  of  a  well-protected  hut. 

In  our  last  march  through  these  rich  low  grounds,  which  are 
every  year  flooded  by  the  river,  I  had  not  observed  the  least 
traces  of  the  cultivation  of  rice,  for  which  they  seem  so  marvel- 
ously  adapted,  the  cultivation  round  Ribago  being  almost  ex- 
clusively limited  to  maiwa  or  maiwari,  a  peculiar  species  of  sor- 
ghum called  matea"  in  Kanuri.  On  inquiring  why  these  peo- 
ple did  not  grow  rice,  I  learned  that  the  Fulbe  hereabouts  had 
aU  migrated  from  Bornu  after  the  downfall  of  their  jemmara  and 
dominion  in  that  country,  when  not  only  were  the  new  political 
intruders  repulsed,  but  even  the  old  settlers,  who  had  been  es- 
tablished in  that  country  from  very  ancient  times,  were  obliged 
to  emigrate.  In  Bornu,  however,  as  I  have  had  occasion  to 
mention  before,  no  rice  is  cultivated,  so  that  these  people,  al- 

*  Ribago,  sometimes  contracted  to  the  form  Ribawo,  means  *'a  governor's 
country-seat." 


DIFFERENT  DIALECTS. 


177 


though  at  present  established  in  regions  where  rice  would  prob- 
ably succeed  much  better  than  millet  and  Indian  corn,  abstain 
entirely  from  its  cultivation.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  western 
part  of  A^damawa  and  in  Hamarruwa,  whither  the  Fulbe  have 
migrated  from  Hausa,  rice  is  cultivated  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent. On  a  former  occasion  I  have  already  touched  on  the 
question  whether  rice  be  indigenous  in  Negi'oland  or  not.  It 
has  evidently  been  cultivated  from  time  immemorial  in  the 
countries  along  the  middle  course  of  the  Psa,  or  Kwara,  from 
Kebbi  up  to  Gagho  or  Gogo  ;  but  this  might  seem  to  be  in  con- 
sequence of  a  very  ancient  intercourse  between  those  regions  and 
Egypt,  which  I  hope  to  be  able  to  establish  in  the  course  of  my 
narrative.  It  grows,  however,  wild  in  many  parts,  from  the 
southern  provinces  of  Bomu,  Bagirmi,  and  Waday,  as  far  north 
as  El  Haudh  and  Bagliena,  on  the  border  of  the  western  desert. 

Another  important  point  of  which  I  here  became  aware  was, 
that  the  Batta  language,  whicli,  among  the  numerous  languages 
of  A^damawa,  or  rather  Fumbina,is  the  most  extensively  spoken, 
has  two  very  different  dialects ;  for,  being  anxious  to  finish  my 
small  vocabulary  of  this  language,  which  I  had  commenced  in 
Kukawa  with  the  assistance  of  Mohammedu,  I  soon  found  that 
the  dialect  spoken  here  differed  considerably  from  that  of  which 
I  had  previously  written  specimens.  The  Batta  language,  as  I 
have  stated  above,  is  intimately  related  to  the  Marghi  and  Zani 
idiom,  and  bears  several  points  of  resemblance  to  the  Musgu 
language,  which  is  itself  related  to  the  various  dialects  of  Koto- 
ko.  All  these  languages  have  some  general  points  of  affinity  to 
the  South  African  languages. 

At  present,  however,  the  indigenous  population  is  almost  to- 
tally extinct  in  this  district,  which  is  exclusively  inhabited  by 
the  conquerors,  who  have  here  found  an  abode  remarkably  suit- 
ed to  their  mode  of  living.  The  whole  place  has  not  less  than 
six  thousand  inhabitants. 

Friday,  June  20th.  We  started  early  in  order  to  reach  the 
capital,  if  possible,  before  noon,  and  passed  through  several  ham- 
lets, all  belonging  to  the  extensive  village  or  district  of  Eibago, 
and  interrupted  here  and  there  by  projecting  masses  of  schistose 

Vol.  II.— M 


178 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


rock,  wliilc  the  concavity  between  this  rising  ground  and  Mount 
Biigele  was  fast  filling  with  the  flood  from  the  river,  and  pre- 
sented already  a  considerable  sheet  of  water.  The  country, 
after  we  had  passed  this  populous  district,  became  thickly 
wooded,  which  I  had  not  expected  to  find  so  near  the  capital ; 
and,  on  account  of  some  ravines  which  intersect  it,  and  of  the 
neighborhood  of  the  inlet  of  the  river,  it  certainly  can  not  afford 
a  very  easy  passage  toward  the  end  of  the  rainy  season.  Here, 
also,  the  rock  projects  above  the  plain  in  many  places. 

About  eight  o'clock,  when  we  had  traveled  round  the  south- 
western foot  of  Mount  Bagele,  we  passed  through  a  number  of 
small  hamlets,  which,  however,  did  not  exhibit  any  traces  of  cul- 
tivation, and  then  again  entered  upon  a  wild  tract,  while  we  ob- 
tained a  glance  at  a  picturesquely-seated  place  before  us,  which 
I  unhesitatingly  took  for  Yola,  but  which  proved  to  be  a  small 
village  situated  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  capital.  Be- 
fore we  reached  it  we  had  to  cross  a  sheet  of  water  nearly  five 
feet  deep,  and  called  by  my  companions  "  Mayo  Binti,"  which 
caused  us  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  delay,  and  wetted  almost 
all  my  luggage.  The  water,  which  at  present  had  no  current, 
skirts  the  foot  of  the  rocky  slope  on  which  the  village  is  situ- 
ated, the  name  of  which  is  Yebborewo.  Here  our  camels  cre- 
ated an  extraordinary  interest,  and  a  great  many  women,  al- 
though we  did  not  attend  to  their  wish  to  stop,  managed  to  pass 
under  tlie  bellies  of  these  tall  creatures,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining 
their  blessing,  as  they  thought  them  sacred  animals. 

Having  kept  along  the  rising  ground,  and  passed  several  lit- 
tle hamlets  adorned  with  monkey-bread-trees,  we  had  to  cross 
very  difficult  swampy  ground,  which,  a  little  later  in  the  season, 
must  be  avoided  by  a  long  circuit.  Two  months  later  Mount 
Bagele  must  look  almost  like  an  island,  so  surrounded  is  it  on 
all  sides  by  deep  inlets  and  swamps.  The  detached  cone  of 
Mount  Takabello,  rising  to  a  height  of  about  a  thousand  feet 
above  the  plain,  for  some  time  formed  a  conspicuous  object  in 
front  of  us  on  our  winding  path,  till  at  length,  a  little  before 
noon,  we  reached  the  outskirts  of  the  capital  in  a  state  of  mind 
not  exempt  from  anxious  feeling. 


TOLA. 


179 


CHAPTEH  XXXVI. 

MY  RECEPTION  IN  YoLA. — SHORT  STAY. — DISMISSAL. 

At  length  I  had  reached  the  capital  of  A^damawa,  having  had 
altogether  a  very  lucky  and  successful  journey;  but  now  all  de- 
pended upon  the  manner  in  which  I  should  be  received  in  this 
place:  for,  although  it  was  quite  enough  to  have  successfully 
penetrated  so  far,  after  having  discovered  and  crossed  the  upper 
course  of  that  large  river,  about  the  identity  of  which  with  the 
Chadda  there  could  be  little  doubt,  I  entertained  the  hope  that 
I  might  be  allowed  to  penetrate  further  south,  and  investigate 
at  least  part  of  the  basin  of  the  river.  I  had  heard  so  much 
about  the  fertile  character  of  those  regions,  that  I  was  intensely 
desirous  to  see  something  of  them. 

It  was  an  unfavorable  circumstance  that  we  arrived  on  a  Fri- 
day, and  just  during  the  heat  of  the  day.  The  streets  were  al- 
most deserted,  and  no  person  met  us  in  order  to  impart  to  us, 
by  a  friendly  welcome,  a  feeling  of  cheerfulness  and  confidence. 

Yola  is  a  large  open  place,  consisting,  with  a  few  exceptions, 
of  conical  huts  surrounded  by  spacious  court-yards,  and  even  by 
corn-fields,  the  houses  of  the  governor  and  those  of  his  brothers 
being  alone  built  of  clay.  Keeping  along  the  principal  street, 
we  continued  our  march  for  a  mile  and  a  quarter  before  we 
reached  the  house  of  the  governor,  which  lies  on  the  west  side 
of  a  small  open  area,  opposite  the  mosque,  a  flat  oblong  build- 
ing, or  rather  hall,  inclosed  with  clay  walls,  and  covered  with  a 
flat  thatched  roof  a  little  inclined  on  one  side.  Having  reached 
this  place,  my  companions  fired  a  salute,  which,  considering  the 
nature  of  Billama's  mission,  and  the  peculiar  character  of  the 
governor,  which  this  officer  ought  to  have  known,  and  perhaps 
also  since  it  happened  to  be  Friday,  was  not  very  judicious. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  the  courtiers  or  attendants  of  the  governor, 


180 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


attracted  by  the  firing,  came  out  one  after  another,  and  informed 
us  that  their  master  must  go  to  the  mosque  and  say  his  mid- 
day prayers*  before  he  could  attend  to  us  or  assign  us  quarters. 
We  therefore  dismounted  and  sat  down  in  the  scanty  shade  of 
a  jeja  or  caoutchouc-tree,  which  adorns  the  place  between  the 
palace  and  the  mosque,  while  a  great  number  of  people,  amount- 
ing to  several  hundreds,  gradually  collected,  all  eager  to  salute 
me  and  shake  hands  w^ith  me.  Fortunately,  it  was  not  long  be- 
fore Lowel  came  out  from  his  palace  and  went  into  the  mosque ; 
and  then  I  obtained  a  few  moments'  respite,  the  people  all  fol- 
lowing him,  with  the  exception  of  the  young  ones,  who  very 
luckily  found  the  camels  a  worthier  object  of  their  curiosity 
than  me.  It  had  been  my  intention  to  salute  the  governor  when 
he  was  crossing  the  place,  but  I  was  advised  not  to  do  so,  as  it 
might  interfere  with  his  devotional  feelings. 

The  prayer  was  short ;  and  when  it  was  over  I  was  sur- 
rounded by  much  larger  numbers  than  before,  and,  being  fatigued 
and  hungry,  I  felt  greatly  annoyed  by  the  endless  saluting  and 
shaking  of  liands.  At  length  we  were  ordered  to  take  up  our 
quarters  in  the  house  of  Ardo  Ghammawa,  a  brother  of  our  fel- 
lows-traveler Ibrahima ;  but  this  being  close  to  the  east  end  of 
the  town,  we  were  not  much  pleased  with  the  arrangement,  as 
it  not  only  obliged  us  for  the  moment  to  return  the  whole  way 
we  had  come,  but  also,  for  the  future,  deprived  us  of  an  unre- 
served and  friendly  intercourse  with  the  governor.  This  was 
not  calculated  to  inspire  us  with  confidence  as  to  the  success  of 
our  proceedings. 

It  was  past  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when,  at  length,  I 
reached  my  quarters  and  took  possession  of  a  large,  well-venti- 
lated, and  neat  "zaure"  or  hall,  the  w^alls  of  wdiich  were  all 
painted.  In  the  inner  court-yard  there  was  also  a  very  neat 
and  snug  little  hut,  but  that  was  all,  and  we  had  great  trouble 

*  With  regard  to  the  Fulbe,  the  prayers  of  dhohor  ("  zuhura"  or  "  sallifanna") 
may  rightly  be  called  midday  prayers,  as  they  are  accustomed  to  pray  as  soon 
as  the  zawal  has  been  observed.  But,  in  general,  it  would  be  wrong  to  call  dho- 
hor noon,  as  is  very  often  done ;  for  none  of  the  other  Mohammedans  in  this 
part  of  the  world  will  say  his  dhohor  prayer  before  two  o'clock  P.M.  at  the  very 
earliest,  and  generally  not  before  three  o'clock. 


AN  ARAB  TRAVELER. 


181 


in  obtaining  quarters  for  Bu-S'ad  and  the  m'allem  in  some  o£ 
the  neighboring  court-yards.  I  felt  rather  fatigued  and  not 
quite  at  my  ease,  and  therefore  could  not  much  enjoy  a  dish  of 
an  extremely  good  pudding  of  bairi  or  sorghum,  with  excellent 
clear  butter,  and  a  large  bowl  of  milk ;  but,  nevertheless,  al- 
though a  storm,  accompanied  with  much  rain,  broke  out  in  the 
evening  and  rendered  the  air  rather  humid,  I  remained  the  whole 
night  where  I  was,  instead  of  retiring  into  the  well-protected 
though  rather  sultry  hut. 

Saturday^  June  2\st,  In  the  morning  I  selected  my  presents 
for  the  governor,  the  principal  part  of  which  consisted  of  a  very 
handsome  red  cloth  bernus,  which  we  had  found  among  the 
things  left  by  the  late  Mr.  Kichardson;  but  when  we  were  ready 
to  go  we  received  the  information  that  Lowe!  was  in  his  fields, 
and  that  we  could  not  see  him.  Meanwhile,  I  received  a  visit 
from  an  Arab  from  the  far  distant  west,  with  whom  I  had  made 
acquaintance  in  ^ukawa,  and  who  had  given  me  some  very 
valuable  information.  It  was  El  Mukhtar,  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Idesan  in  Baghena,  who  had  previously  paid  a  visit  to  A^dama- 
wa,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  the  country.  It  is  always 
very  pleasant  for  a  traveler  to  meet  another  roving  spirit  some- 
where again,  particularly  in  a  country  like  Central  Africa.  Hav- 
ing acknowledged  his  visit  by  the  gift  of  a  knife  and  a  little 
frankincense,  I  presented  our  host,  the  Ardo  Ghammawa,  with 
a  fine  "riga  giwa"  (an  "elephant-shirt") — that  is  to  say,  one 
of  those  enormous  wide  black  shirts  made  only  in  Nupe,  and 
which  was  one  of  the  few  articles  which  I  had  been  able  to  pro- 
vide in  Kano  for  the  furtherance  of  my  plans.  The  family  of 
the  xVrdo  had  formerly  been  settled  in  Ghammawa,  in  the  south- 
western province  of  Bornu,  but,  when  the  Fulbe  were  driven 
back  from  that  country,  emigrated  and  settled  here.  But  this 
man  still  bears  the  title  "Ardo  Ghammawa" — the  mayor  of 
(the  Fulbe  community  of)  Ghammawa." 

Having  been  told  that  tlie  governor  had  returned  to  his  pal- 
ace, we  mounted  on  horseback  about  ten  o'clock,  and,  preceded 
by  the  Ardo  Ghammawa,  returned  the  long  way  to  the  lamorde 
or  palace ;  but,  after  waiting  on  the  damp  ground,  exposed  to 


182 


TRAVELS  IN  ATRICA. 


the  sun,  for  more  than  an  hour,  we  were  tokl  that  we  could  not 
see  him,  and  were  obliged  to  return  with  our  present.  I  was 
greatly  vexed,  and  felt,  in  consequence,  my  fever  increasing,  es- 
pecially as  another  very  heavy  storm  broke  out  in  the  afternoon, 
wlien  the  air  became  quite  chilly.  However,  I  was  somewhat 
cheered  by  making  acquaintance  in  the  afternoon  with  an  Arab 
from  ]\Iokha,  of  the  name  of  ]\Iohammed  ben  A^hmed,  who 
styled  himself  sherif,  most  probably  rather  pleonastically ;  but, 
apart  from  such  pretension,  he  was  an  amiable  and  most  inter- 
esting man,  who  had  traveled  for  many  years  over  the  whole 
eastern  coast  of  the  continent  between  Mombasa  and  Sofala. 
He  was  the  first  to  satisfy  my  curiosity  with  a  description  of 
the  celebrated  Lake  Nyassa  as  an  eye-witness.  He  had  even 
visited  Bombay  and  Madras. 

Sunday,  June  lid.  In  consequence  of  the  information  re- 
ceived from  Ardo  Ghammawa  that  to-day  we  were  certainly  to 
see  the  governor,  we  got  ready  at  an  early  hour,  taking  with  us 
also  a  present  for  his  brother  !Mansur,  who  had  made  himself 
expressly  a  candidate  for  a  present  by  sending  me,  the  day  be- 
fore, a  small  pot  of  honey.  While  we  were  passing  his  house, 
he  was  coming  out  to  pay  his  respects  to  his  brother.  We 
made  a  short  halt,  and  exchanged  compliments  with  him ;  and 
when,  on  reaching  the  area  before  the  governor's  house,  we  had 
dismounted,  and  were  sitting  down  in  the  shade  of  the  tree,  he 
walked  most  benignly  and  frankly  up,  and  sat  down  in  front 
of  me.  We  then  entered  the  palace  ;  and  having  waited  a  short 
time  in  the  segifa  or  zaure,  which  here  was  formed  by  a  spacious 
flat-roofed  room,  supported  by  massive  square  pillars,  we  were 
called  into  the  presence  of  the  governor. 

Mohammed  Lowel,*  son  of  M'allem  A^dama,  was  sitting  in  a 
separate  hall,  built  of  clay,  and  forming,  for 
this  country,  quite  a  noble  mansion.  From 
without,  especially,  it  has  a  stately,  castle-like 
appearance,  while  inside  the  hall  was  rather 

*  Lowel  is  most  probably  a  name  belonging  to  the  Fulfulde  language,  al- 
though in  writing  with  Arabic  letters  it  is  spelled  Jj\J\ ,  as  if  it  were  of  Arabic 
origin,  and  meant  "  the  first." 


THE  AUDIENCE. 


183 


encroached  upon  by  quadrangular  pillars,  two  feet  in  diameter, 
wliicli  supported  the  roof,  about  sixteen  feet  high,  and  consist- 
ing of  a  rather  heavy  entablature  of  poles,  in  order  to  withstand 
the  violence  of  the  rains.  The  governor  was  very  simply  dress- 
ed, and  had  nothing  remarkable  in  his  appearance,  while  his 
face,  which  was  half  covered  by  a  somewhat  dirty  shawl,  had 
an  indifferent  expression.  Besides  him  there  were  none  pres- 
ent but  Mansur  and  a  m'allem. 

Having,  as  the  first  European  that  had  ever  visited  his  coun- 
try with  the  distinct  purpose  to  enter  into  friendly  relations 
with  him,  paid  him  my  respects  on  behalf  of  my  countrymen,  I 
delivered  my  letter  of  introduction  from  Sheikh  'Omar,  who  in 
a  few  but  well-chosen  lines  introduced  me  to  him  as  a  learned 
and  pious  Christian,  who  wandered  about  to  admire  the  works 
of  the  Almighty  Creator,  and  on  this  account  cherished  an  ar- 
dent desire  to  visit  also  A^damav/a,  of  the  wonders  of  which  I 
had  heard  so  much.  Lowel  read  it,  and  evidently  not  quite  dis- 
pleased with  its  contents,  although  he  took  umbrage  at  some  of 
the  expressions,  handed  it  silently  over  to  the  m'allem  and  Man- 
sur. Hereupon  Billama  delivered  his  letters,  of  which  not  only 
the  contents,  but  even  the  very  existence  had  been  totally  un- 
known to  me.  They  were  three  in  number,  one  from  the  sheikh 
himself,  one  from  Mala  Ibram,  the  former  possessor  of  the  south- 
ern province  of  Bornu,  and  one  from  Kashella  'Ali  Dendal,  or 
Ladan,  the  officer  who  by  his  late  predatory  incursion  had  given 
grounds  for  complaint. 

As  soon  as  these  various  letters  were  read,  all  of  which  laid 
claim,  on  the  side  of  Bornu,  to  the  territory  of  Kofa  and  Kobchi, 
a  storm  arose,  and  in  a  fit  of  wrath  Lowel  reproached  my  com- 
panion with  daring  to  come  forward  with  such  pretensions — he, 
who  was  himself  well  acquainted  with  the  country  and  with  the 
point  in  dispute.  If  Sheikh  'Omar  wished  for  discord,  well ; 
he  was  ready,  and  they  would  harass  each  other's  frontier  prov- 
inces by  reciprocal  incursions.  Having  given  vent  to  his  feel- 
ings toward  Billama,  his  anger  turned  upon  me;  and  he  told 
me  to  my  face  that  I  had  quite  different  reasons  for  coming  into 
his  country  from  those  stated  in  Sheikh  'Omar's  letter ;  refer- 


184 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


ring  to  some  ambiguous  words  in  ]\Iala  Ibram's  writing,  in  which 
that  officer  stated  "  that,  with  regard  to  me,  the  objects  of  my 
journey  to  iVdamawa  were  a  perfect  secret  to  him."  Now  I 
must  confess,  after  all  my  acquaintance  with  the  politics  of  these 
people,  and  notwithstanding  all  Haj  Beshi'r's  kindness  and  be- 
nevolence toward  me,  that  I  think  the  Bornu  diplomatists  quite 
capable  of  a  little  double  dealing ;  that  is  to  say,  I  suspect  that 
they  were  willing  to  make  use  of  me  to  frighten  the  Governor 
of  A^damawa.  Perhaps,  also,  they  were  afraid  lest,  if  I  should 
succeed  in  A^damawa,  I  might  not  return  to  their  country.  I 
shall  have  to  mention  similar  circumstances  on  my  journey  to 
Bagirmi.  Viewing  matters  in  this  light,  I  wrote  from  Kukawa, 
requesting  her  majesty's  government  to  inform  the  Sheikh  of 
Bornu  that  it  was  their  distinct  desire  that  we  should  penetrate 
onward,  and  that  he  would  confer  an  obligation  upon  them  by 
facilitating  the  execution  of  our  plans. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  after  a  long  dispute  with  regard  to  the 
boundaries,  in  which  my  friend  from  Mokha,  and  a  learned  na- 
tive of  Waday,  Mode  ' Abd  Allahi,  who  was  employed  by  Lowel 
as  a  sort  of  secretary  of  state  for  foreign  affairs,  took  part,  I, 
with  my  party,  was  ordered  to  withdraw  for  a  time.  After  sit- 
ting for  fall  two  hours  on  the  damp  ground  outside,  we  received 
an  intimation  that  we  might  return  home.  Thus  I  had  to  re- 
turn with  my  presents  a  second  time  to  my  quarters,  and,  of 
course,  I  was  greatly  vexed.  However,  several  people  who  saw 
my  emotion  endeavored  to  console  me ;  and  Mansur,  who,  be- 
fore we  left,  came  out  of  his  brother's  audience-hall,  entered  into 
conversation  with  me,  and  assured  me  that  this  unkind  treat- 
ment in  no  way  related  to  me,  but  that  it  was  only  intended  for 
Billama,  the  officer  of  Bornu.  There  was  present  also  the  very 
amiable  m'allem  whom  I  had  met  in  Sarawu  Fulfulde,  and  who 
had  come  after  us,  and  I  felt  sorry  that  I  was  not  disposed  to 
answer  his  well-meant  discourse  in  the  manner  it  deserved. 

When  we  reached  Mansur's  liouse  he  invited  us  to  dis- 
mount, and,  entering  the  interior  of  his  wide  and  neat  dwelling, 
we  had  a  long  and  animated  conversation,  when  I  explained  to 
him  in  a  deliberate  manner  that  such  treatment  did  not  offend 


POLITICAL  DISPUTES. 


185 


me  on  my  own  account,  but  on  account  of  the  government — the 
very  first  and  most  powerful  in  the  world — which  had  sent  me; 
that,  instead  of  coming  with  hostile  intentions,  as  was  imputed 
to  me,  I  had  come  with  the  friendly  design  of  paying  my  re- 
spects to  the  governor  on  behalf  of  the  British  sovereign,  and 
to  present  him  with  a  few  specimens  of  our  products  and  manu- 
factures ;  that  I  had,  no  doubt,  at  the  same  time  an  intense  de- 
sire to  see  their  country,  as  it  was  the  avowed  purpose  of  Euro- 
peans in  general,  and  of  the  English  in  particular,  to  become 
acquainted  and  to  open  intercourse  with  all  parts  of  God's  cre- 
ation. 

Mansur  explained  to  me,  in  return,  that  they  well  knew  that 
I  had  not  come  to  make  war  upon  them,  although  Lowel,  in  the 
first  fit  of  his  anger,  scarcely  seemed  to  suspect  any  thing  less 
than  that,  "  but  that  they  were  vexed  because  I  had  come  to 
them  under  the  protection  of  the  Bornu  people,  their  enemies." 
A  letter  from  the  Sultan  of  Stambul,  or  even  from  my  own  sov- 
ereign, would  have  recommended  me  much  more  advantageous- 
ly. The  sheikh  had  expressly  designated  me  as  one  recom- 
mended and  protected  by  the  Porte,  and  Bu-S'ad  had  mention- 
ed, with  a  slight  disregard  of  the  real  facts,  that  through  inad- 
vertence only  I  had  left  both  letters,  as  well  that  from  the  Sul- 
tan of  Stambul  as  from  the  English  sovereign,  in  Kukawa. 
Now  I  certainly  had  with  me  a  treaty  written  in  Arabic,  such 
as  it  was  desirable  that  the  Governor  of  A^damawa  should  sub- 
scribe ;  but  to  produce  this  under  existing  circumstances  would 
have  been  absurd,  especially  as  it  did  not  emanate  directly  from 
the  government,  and  was  not  authenticated  either  by  seal  or  in 
any  other  way,  and  I  thought  it  better  not  to  mention  it.  It 
was  no  bad  policy  on  the  part  of  Bu-S'ad  to  represent  me  as 
sent  on  a  special  mission  by  the  British  government  to  the 
Fulbe  princes,  and  as  obliged  only  by  the  death  of  my  com- 
panion to  deviate  from  my  intended  course  in  order  to  supply 
his  place  in  Kukawa. 

Meanwhile  it  was  past  midday ;  and  after  a  stormy  night  the 
sun  shone  forth  with  overpowering  force,  while  we  sat  all  the 
while  in  an  ojpen  court-yard  without  the  least  protection.  On 


186 


TKAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


rcacliing  my  quarters,  I  was  so  exhausted  and  ill  tliat  I  thought 
I  could  do  nothing  better  than  take,  without  delay,  a  powerful 
emetic,  after  which  I  felt  much  better,  but  rather  weak.  Hav- 
ing somewhat  restored  my  spirits  by  a  conversation  with  Mo- 
hammed ben  A^hmed,  I  retired  into  the  close  hut  and  had  a 
sound  sleep. 

Monday  having  passed  quietly,  with  the  exception  of  a  great 
many  people  calling  for  laya"  or  charms,  and  for  medicines, 
Tuesday,  the  24th,  arrived,  when  it  was  my  destiny  to  leave 
this  country,  which  I  had  but  just  entered,  and  to  retrace  my 
steps  over  the  long  and  infested  road  which  I  had  lately  trav- 
eled. 

I  felt  tolerably  well  in  the  morning,  but  afterward  became 
very  ill,  and,  unfortunately,  took  too  weak  a  dose  of  medicine. 
In  this  state  I  had  a  visit  from  two  very  handsome  and  amiable 
yoang  Fulbe,  and,  in  my  rather  morose  mood,  refused  their  ur- 
gent request,  made  in  the  most  simple  and  confidential  way, 
to  say  the  "fat-ha,"or  the  opening  prayer  of  the  Kuran,  with 
them.  I  have  always  regretted  my  refusal,  as  it  estranged  from 
me  a  great  many  people;  and,  although  many  Christians  will 
object  to  repeat  the  prayer  of  another  creed,  yet  the  use  of  a 
prayer  of  so  general  import  as  the  introductory  chapter  to  the 
Kuran  ought  to  be  permitted  to  every  solitary  traveler  in  these 
regions,  in  order  to  form  a  sort  of  conciliatory  link  between  him 
and  the  natives. 

After  some  other  visitors  had  come  and  gone,  I  received, 
about  ten  o'clock,  a  formal  visit  from  Mode  'Abd-Allahi,  the 
■foreign  secretary,  and  my  friend  from  Moklia,  in  the  name  of 
the  governor.  Having  moistened  their  organs  with  a  cup  of 
coffee,  they  acquitted  themselves  of  their  message  in  the  follow- 
ing terms  :  The  sultan" — all  these  provincial  governors  bear 
the  title  of  sultan — "had  ordered  them,"  they  said,  "to  beg  me 
to  accept  his  most  respectful  regards,  and  to  inform  me  that  he 
was  nothing  but  a  slave  of  the  Sultan  of  Sokoto,  and  that  I  was 
a  far  greater  man  than  himself.  As  such  a  man  had  never  be- 
fore come  to  his  country,  he  was  afraid  of  his  liege  lord,  and 
begged  me  to  retrace  my  steps  whither  I  had  come ;  but  if,  in 


THE  MISSION  REPULSED. 


187 


course  of  time,  I  should  return  with  a  letter  from  Sokoto,  he 
would  receive  me  with  open  arms,  would  converse  with  me  about 
all  our  science  and  about  our  instruments  without  reserve,  and 
would  show  me  the  whole  country." 

To  this  message,  which  was  certainly  couched  in  very  modest 
and  insinuating  terms,  I  answered  that  Mohammed  Lowel,  so 
far  from  being  a  slave  of  the  Sultan  of  Sokoto,  was  renowned 
far  and  wide  as  the  almost  independent  governor  of  a  large  prov- 
ince ;  that  the  fame  of  his  father  A^dama,  as  a  nobly-born,  learn- 
ed Pullo,  extended  far  and  wide  throughout  Tekrur  or  Negro- 
land,  and  had  even  reached  our  own  country ;  that  it  was  ab- 
surd to  argue  that  I  was  greater  than  himself,  and  that  on  this 
account  he  could  not  receive  me  on  his  own  responsibility,  but 
was  obliged  to  refer  my  suit  to  his  liege  lord  in  Sokoto.*  I 
brought  forward  the  examples  of  Katsena  and  Kano,  especially 
the  latter  place,  in  which,  though  it  was  the  seat  of  a  governor 
dependent  on  the  Emir  el  Mumenm,  in  the  same  way  as  the 
Governor  of  A^damawa,  I  had  long  resided,  without  any  repre- 
sentations being  made  to  the  sovereign  lord.  "  Oh  I  but  the 
relations  of  Katsena  and  Kano,"  said  the  messengers  of  the  gov- 
ernor, '*  are  entirely  different  from  those  of  this  province.  These 
are  large  and  busy  thoroughfares  for  all  the  world,  while  A^da- 
mawa  is  a  distant  territory  in  the  remotest  corner  of  the  earth, 
and  still  a  fresh,  unconsolidated  conquest."  There  was  certain- 
ly some  truth  in  this  last  remark  ;  and,  whatever  I  might  say  to 
the  contrary,  the  question  was  decided,  and  all  reasoning  was  in 
vain. 

The  two  messengers,  having  gone  through  their  business  in 
this  way,  informed  me  that  they  were  only  the  forerunners  of 
the  real  messenger,  Mansur,  the  brother  of  the  governor.  This 
was  very  pleasant  news  to  me ;  and  although,  after  this  shock 
of  disappointment,  I  felt  extremely  ill  and  weak,  I  rose  from  my 
couch,  and  went  to  receive  Mansur  when  he  arrived  at  the  door 
of  the  hut.  He  then  officially,  and  in  a  very  feeling  manner, 
confirmed  all  that  Mode  'Abd-Allahi  and  the  sherif  Mohammed 

*  Although  'Ah'yu,  the  present  Emir  el  Mumenm,  resides  in  Wumo,  neverthe- 
less Sokoto  is  still  regarded  as  the  official  capital  of  the  empire. 


188 


TRAVELS  m  AFRICA. 


had  said,  and  expressed  his  deep  regret  that  I  was  not  allowed 
to  stay.  AYhen  he  was  going  I  handed  to  his  servants  the  lit- 
tle presents  destined  for  him,  which  consisted  of  twenty-hve  dr'a 
of  striped  JManchester,  a  pair  of  English  razors,  scissors,  a  look- 
ing-glass, a  parcel  of  cloves,  a  little  jawi  or  benzoin,  and  a  small 
piece  of  camphor. 

Mansur  had  been  gone  a  little  while  when  I  received  inform- 
ation that  t]ie  governor  had  sent  me  a  horse  and  two  slaves  as 
a  present,  with  an  intimation  that  I  might  likewise  let  him  have 
the  present  which  I  had  brought  with  me  for  him.  But  this  I 
refused  to  do,  declaring  that  I  could  not,  under  the  present  cir- 
cumstances, either  accept  from  him  or  give  him  any  thing,  not 
having  come  as  a  merchant  to  barter  with  him,  but  as  the  mes- 
senger of  another  powerful  sovereign  to  treat  with  him  on  friend- 
ly terms.  My  servant,  Bu-S'ad,  who,  in  the  covetousness  of 
his  heart,  already  fancied  himself  in  the  possession  of  the  two 
slaves,  whom  he  knew  well  I  myself  could  not  accept,  but 
whom  he  tliought  I  would  give  up  to  him,  went  so  far  as  to  de- 
clare that,  as  the  present  had  come  from  my  sovereign,  I  had  no 
alternative  but  to  bestow  it.  But,  seeing  that  I  was  firm,  the 
messengers  went  away,  and  soon  after  a  horseman  arrived  with 
the  order  for  me  to  leave  the  town  instantly. 

Meanwhile,  during  all  this  negotiation  and  dispute,  I  had  be- 
come extremely  weak,  and  the  excitement  had  brought  on  a 
very  severe  fit  of  fever.  Indeed,  I  scarcely  thought  that  I 
should  be  able  to  sit  on  horseback  and  to  bear  the  sun,  it  being 
then  just  noon,  and  the  sun  shining  forth  with  great  power. 
Nevertheless,  I  got  my  things  ready ;  but  having  left  my  quar- 
ters a  little  too  soon,  and  being  obliged  to  wait  some  time  for 
the  other  people,  I  became  so  weak  that  I  could  no  longer  keep 
on  my  feet,  but  lay  down  on  the  ground  till  my  companions  ar- 
rived. Sitting  then  firmly  in  my  large  Arab  stirrups,  and  hold- 
ing on  to  the  pommel,  I  proceeded ;  and  though  I  fainted  twice, 
I  soon  regained  some  strength,  a  slight  breeze  having  arisen, 
which  greatly  mitigated  the  burning  heat. 

Numbers  of  people  accompanied  me,  expressing  their  gi'ief 
and  sorrow  at  my  abrupt  departure.    By  my  refusing  to  write 


YO'LA. 


189 


laiya,  or  to  say  the  fat-ha,  I  had  estranged  many  a  friendly-dis- 
posed native,  and  by  my  obstinacy  I  had  incurred  the  displeas- 
ure of  their  master,  yet  many  of  the  people  openly  disapproved 
of  his  conduct  toward  me. 

An  immense  quantity  of  rain  having  fallen  during  my  stay 
here,  the  country  appeared  to  me  much  more  beautiful  now  than 
when  we  came,  and  full  of  fine  cattle ;  and  I  felt  so  refreshed 
that  I  considered  myself  able  to  go  as  far  as  Eibago,  a  ride  of 
six  hours  at  a  slow  rate. 

Billama  behaved  exceedingly  well ;  for  when  my  treacherous 
servant  Bu-S'ad,  who  was  afraid  lest  Mohammed  Lowel  should 
wreak  his  anger  upon  me  on  the  road,  intimated  to  him  that 
"  if  any  thing  of  that  sort  should  happen,  they,  of  course,  were 
Moslemin"  —  thus  indicating  that  they  could  not  defend  me 
against  those  of  their  own  creed,  but  should  leave  me  to  my 
fate — he  indignantly  left  his  company  and  rode  up  to  me. 
Thus,  without  any  accident,  except  that  all  my  luggage  was 
once  more  wetted  through  while  passing  the  deep  water  of  the 
mayo  Binti,  we  reached  the  friendly  village,  where,  witliout  cer- 
emony, I  took  up  my  quarters  in  the  well-known  court-yard  of 
our  former  host.  But,  before  proceeding  farther  on  my  journey 
back,  I  must  try  to  make  the  reader  better  acquainted  with  the 
country,  though  the  abrupt  way  in  which  I  was  obliged  to  leave 
it  allows  me  only,  in  most  cases,  to  speak  from  the  information 
of  the  natives. 

Yola  is  the  capital  of  an  extensive  province,  called  by  foreign- 
ers generally,  and  by  the  conquering  Fulbe  in  diplomatic  lan- 
guage, AMamawa,  but  the  real  name  of  which  is  Fumbina.  In- 
deed, xVdamawa  is  quite  a  new  name  given  to  the  country  (ex- 
actly as  I  stated  in  my  report  sent  to  Europe  some  years  ago) 
in  honor  of  M'allem  A^dama,  the  father  of  the  present  governor, 
wlio  succeeded  in  founding  here  a  new  Mohammedan  empire  on 
the  mins  of  several  smaller  pagan  kingdoms,  the  most  consid- 
erable of  which  was  that  of  Kokomi.  Whether  what  the  peo- 
ple used  to  say  be  true,  that  the  name  of  the  wife  of  this  officer 
was  AMama  too,  I  am  not  able  positively  to  decide.* 

*  A'damawa  is  certainly  not  quite  identical  with  Fumbina,  as  it  denotes  only 


190 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Yola  is  quite  a  new  settlement,  called  by  this  name  after  the 
princely  quarter  of  tlie  town  of  Kano,  the  former  capital,  of 
which  Denham's  expedition  heard  some  faint  report,  being  Gu^ 
rin.  Yola  is  situated  in  a  swampy  plain,  and  is  bordered  on 
the  north  side  by  an  inlet  of  the  river,  the  inundation  of  which 
reaches  close  to  that  quarter  where  I  was  living.  The  town  is 
certainly  not  less  than  three  miles  long  from  east  to  west.  It 
seems  probable  that  there  are  different  names  for  the  different 
quarters,  but  my  stay  was  too  short  to  allow  me  to  learn  them. 
The  court-yards  are  large  and  spacious,  but  often  contain  only 
a  single  hut,  the  whole  area  being  sown  with  grain  during  the 
rainy  season.  All  the  huts  are  built  with  clay  walls  on  account 
of  the  violence  of  the  rains,  and  are  tolerably  high.  Only  the 
governor  and  his  elder  brothers  possess  large  establishments 
with  dwellings  built  entirely  of  clay.  Notwithstanding  its 
size,  the  place  can  hardly  contain  more  than  twelve  thousand 
inhabitants. 

It  has  no  industry,  and  the  market,  at  least  during  the  time 
of  my  stay  there,  was  most  insignificant  and  miserably  sup- 
plied ;  but  certainly  during  the  season  of  field  labor,  as  I  have 
already  had  occasion  to  observe,  all  the  markets  in  Negroland 
are  less  important  than  at  other  times  of  the  year.  The  most 
common  objects  in  the  market,  which  find  ready  sale,  are  tur- 
kedi,  beads,  and  salt,*  while  other  articles,  such  as  striped  Man- 
chester, calico,  cloth  bemuses,  are  generally  sold  privately  to 
the  wealthier  people.  The  only  articles  of  export  at  present 
are  slaves  and  ivory.  Four  good  turkedi,  bought  in  Kano  for 
1800  or  2000  kurdi  each,  will  generally  purchase  a  slave,  and  a 
turkedi  will  often  buy  an  elephant's  tusk  of  tolerable  size. 

Slavery  exists  on  an  immense  scale  in  this  country,  and  there 

those  regions  of  the  latter  which  have  been  conquered  by  the  Fulbe,  while  many 
parts  are  as  yet  unsubdued. 

*  With  regard  to  salt,  I  will  observe  that  the  greater  part  of  it  is  brought  from 
Biimanda  on  the  Benuvve,  near  Hamarruwa,  where  it  seems  to  be  obtained  from 
the  soil  in  the  same  way  as  I  shall  describe  the  salt-boiling  in  Foga  in  the  third 
volume,  although  in  Biimanda  there  is  no  valley  formation,  and  Mr.  Vogel,  who 
lately  visited  this  place,  may  be  right  in  stating  that  the  salt  is  merely  obtained 
from  ashes  by  burning  the  grass  which  grows  in  that  locality. 


EXTENT  OF  FU'MBINA'. 


191 


are  many  private  individuals  who  have  more  than  a  thousand 
slaves.  In  this  respect  the  governor  of  the  whole  province  is 
not  the  most  powerful  man,  being  outstripped  hy  the  governors 
of  Chamba  and  Koncha — for  this  reason,  that  Mohammed  Lowel 
has  all  his  slaves  settled  in  rumde  or  slave- villages,  where  they 
cultivate  grain  for  his  use  or  profit,  while  the  above-mentioned 
officers,  who  obtain  all  their  provision  in  corn  from  subjected 
pagan  tribes,  have  their  whole  host  of  slaves  constantly  at  their 
disposal ;  and  I  have  been  assured  that  some  of  the  head  slaves 
of  these  men  have  as  many  as  a  thousand  slaves  each  under 
their  command,  with  whom  they  undertake  occasional  expedi- 
tions for  their  masters.  I  have  been  assured,  also,  that  Moham- 
med Lowel  receives  every  year  in  tribute,  besides  horses  and 
cattle,  about  five  thousand  slaves,  though  this  seems  a  large 
number. 

The  country  of  Fumbina  is  about  two  hundred  miles  long  in 
its  greatest  extent,  running  from  southwest  to  northeast,  while 
its  shortest  diameter  seems  to  reach  from  northwest  to  south- 
east, and  scarcely  ever  exceeds  seventy  or  eighty  miles  ;  but 
this  territory  is  as  yet  far  from  being  entirely  subjected  to  the 
Mohammedan  conquerors,  who,  in  general,  are  only  in  posses- 
sion of  detached  settlements,  while  the  intermediate  country, 
particularly  the  more  mountainous  tracts,  is  still  in  the  hands 
of  the  pagans.  The  people  in  this  part  of  the  country  are  en- 
gaged in  constant  warfare.  While  the  country  north  from  the 
Benuwe,  between  Yola  and  Hamarruwa,  is  entirely  independ- 
ent, and  inhabited  by  warlike  pagan  tribes,  the  best-subjected 
tract  seems  to  be  that,  between  the  Wandala  and  tlie  Musgu 
country,  where  the  settlements  of  the  conquering  tribe  are  very 
compact.  I  must  observe,  however,  that  I  am  not  quite  clear 
as  to  the  exact  manner  in  which  those  distant  settlements  are 
dependent  on  the  Governor  of  AMamawa.  That  part  of  the 
country  seems  to  deserve  a  great  deal  of  interest,  and  to  be  des- 
tined to  become  a  province  by  itself.  It  is  sometimes  designa- 
ted by  the  special  name  of  "  Jcmmara,"  a  name  certainly  of  gen- 
eral import,  and  meaning  nothing  but  "the  congregation" — a 
corruption,  in  short,  of  Jemma'a. 


192 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


The  country  is  certainly  one  of  tlie  finest  in  Central  Africa, 
irrigated  as  it  is  by  numerous  rivers,  among  which  the  Benuwe 
and  the  Faro  are  the  most  important,  and  being  diversified  with 
hill  and  dale.  In  general,  however,  it  is  flat,  rising  gradually 
toward  the  south  from  an  elevation*  of  about  eight  hundred 
feet,  along  the  middle  course  of  the  Benuwe,  to  fifteen  hundred 
feet  or  more,  and  broken  by  separate  hills  or  more  extensive 
groups  of  mountains ;  but,  as  far  as  I  know,  there  is  not  here  a 
single  example  of  large  mountain  masses.  Mount  Alantika,  of 
which  I  had  a  fine  view  from  several  points,  though  at  a  con- 
siderable distance,  is  considered  as  the  most  massive  and  ele- 
vated mountain  in  the  whole  country ;  and  this  is  an  entirely 
detached  mountain,  at  the  utmost  fifty  miles  in  circumference, 
and  elevated  certainly  not  more  than  eight  thousand  five  hund- 
red or  nine  thousand  feet  above  the  plain  from  which  it  rises. 
No  doubt  the  Benuw^  may  be  presumed  to  have  its  sources  in 
a  mountainous  tract  of  country ;  but  of  the  uppermost  course 
of  this  river  I  was  not  able  to  obtain  the  least  information,  while 
I  have  been  able  to  lay  down  its  course  with  great  approximate 
certainty,  t  Yet,  although  the  elevation  of  the  country  is  in 
general  the  same,  the  nature  of  the  different  districts  varies 
greatly ;  thus  in  Cliamba,  apparently  on  account  of  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Mount  Alantika,  which  attracts  the  clouds,  the  rainy 
season  is  said  to  set  in  as  early  as  January,  so  that  by  the  end  of 
April  or  beginning  of  May  the  first  crop  is  ripe,  while  in  Tola, 
and  in  the  country  in  general,  the  rains  rarely  begin  before  March. 

The  grain  most  commonly  grown  in  the  country  is  IIolcus 
sorghum  ;  but  in  this  respect,  also,  there  is  a  great  difference 
between. the  districts.  Thus  the  country  of  the  Mbum  round 
Ngaundere  scarcely  produces  any  thing  but  rogo  or  yams,  which 

*  It  is  a  great  pity  that  the  members  of  the  Benuwe  expedition  were  not  able 
to  measure  the  elevation  of  the  river  at  the  farthest  point  reached.  My  ther- 
mometer for  measuring  the  boiling-point  of  water  was  so  deranged  that  my  ob- 
servation at  Tepe  is  without  any  value.  Till  further  observations  have  been 
made,  I  think  it  may  be  assumed  to  be  from  800  to  850  feet. 

t  It  would  be  rather  more  appropriate  to  give  the  name  of  Lower  Benuwe  to 
that  part  of  the  river  below,  and  that  of  Upper  Benuwe  to  that  part  above  the 
confluence,  than  to  call  Upper  Benuwe  the  part  of  the  river  visited  by  Dr.  Bai- 
kie. 


VEGETABLES  AND  ANIMALS. 


193 


form  the  daily,  and  almost  sole  food  of  the  inhabitants.  Meat 
is  so  dear  that  a  goat  will  often  fetch  the  price  of  a  female  slave. 
Ground-nuts  {Arachis  hyjpogcea)  are  plentiful  both  in  the  east- 
ern and  the  western  districts.  A  tolerable  quantity  of  cotton, 
called  "pottolo"  in  A^damawa,is  cultivated;  but  indigo  or  "cha- 
chari"  is  very  rare,  and  is  hardly  cultivated  any  where  but  in 
Sarawu  and  Maruwa ;  and  this  is  very  natural,  as  the  Fulbe 
do  not  value  colored  shirts. 

With  regard  to  exuberance  of  vegetation,  Tibati  seems  to 
be  one  of  the  richest  places ;  there  both  kinds  of  the  banana 
or  ayabaje,  the  gonda  or  papaya,  "  dukuje,"  several  species  of 
the  guro-tree,  the  Pandanus^  the  Kajilia,  the  monkey-bread- 
tree  or  Adansonia,  the  "  rimi"  or  Bomhax^  and  numerous  other 
kinds,  are  found.  Of  the  palm  tribe,  the  deleb-palm  or  gigina, 
and  the  JEldis  Guinensis,  are  frequent,  but  strictly  limited  to 
certain  localities,  while  the  date-tree  (called  by  the  Fulbe  of 
A^damawa  by  the  beautiful  name  "  tannedaraje"*)  is  very  rare, 
and,  except  a  few  specimens  in  Yola  and  Bundang,  scarcely  to 
be  met  with.  Among  the  bushes,  the  Palma  Christi  or  Pici- 
nus  is  extremely  common.  Altogether,  the  predominant  tree  in 
the  southern  provinces  of  A'damawa  seems  to  be  the  banana. 
There  are  hot  springs  in  the  country  of  the  Bakr  Yemyem,  about 
three  days  south  from  Koncha,  which  are  said  to  issue  from  the 
west  foot  of  a  mountain  stretching  from  east  to  west,  and  to  have 
a  very  high  temperature ;  the  water  is  reported  to  be  palatable. 

Of  animals,  the  elephant  is  exceedingly  frequent ;  not  only  the 
black  or  gray,  but  also  a  yellow  species.  The  rhinoceros  is  oft- 
en met  with,  but  only  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  country.  East 
of  the  Benuwe  the  wild  bull  is  very  common.  The  most  singu- 
lar animal  seems  to  be  the  ayu,  which  lives  in  the  river,  and  in 
some  respects  resembles  the  seal  ;t  it  comes  out  of  the  river  in 
the  night,  and  feeds  on  the  fresh  grass  growing  on  its  banks. 

*  This  name  is  evidently  connected  with  that  of  the  Balanites,  which  they  call 
."tanni ;"  and  several  Negro  nations  compare  the  date  with  the  fruit  of  that  tree. 

t  Mr.  Vogel,  who  has  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  sight  of  this  animal,  found  that 
it  is  a  mammal  like  the  Manatus  Senegalensis.  The  South  African  rivers,  also, 
have  these  mammals,  and  the  ayii  is  not  less  frequent  in  the  I'sa,  near  Timbuk- 
tu, than  it  is  in  the  Benuwe. 

Vol.  II.— N 


194 


TRAVELS  IN  ATRICA. 


With  regard  to  domestic  animals,  cattle  were  evidently  intro- 
duced by  the  Fulbe  some  two  or  three  hundred  years  ago. 
There  is  an  indigenous  variety  of  ox,  but  quite  a  different  spe- 
cies, not  three  feet  high,  and  of  dark-gray  color :  this  is  called 
maturu.  The  native  horse  is  small  and  feeble  ;  the  best  horses 
are  brought  from  the  northern  districts,  chiefly  from  U^ba. 

I  now  proceed  to  mention  the  names  of  the  most  powerful 
Fulbe  governors  of  the  country,  to  which  I  shall  subjoin  a  list 
of  the  native  tribes,  over  which  the  conquerors  are  gradually 
extending  their  sway,  and  which  they  may  even  partially  suc- 
ceed in  exterminating.  Of  those  who  are  bound  to  the  Governor 
of  A^damawa  in  due  allegiance — that  is  to  say,  who  send  him  a 
certain  present  and  assist  him  in  his  warlike  expeditions,  the 
governors  of  Chamba  and  Koncha  take  the  first  rank.  The 
present  governor  of  Chamba,  A^mba  (properly  ]\Iohammed) 
Sambo,  who  is  now  a  very  old  man,  has  made  himself  extremely 
famous  by  his  daring  and  distant  expeditions,  and  more  espe- 
cially that  to  the  Fbo  country  and  to  Mbafu,  which  he  under- 
took three  years  ago,  and  through  which  he  has  succeeded  in 
extending  not  only  the  influence,  but  even  the  dominion  of  the 
conquerors,  in  a  certain  degTce,  as  far  as  the  Bight  of  Benin.  I 
have  some  reason  to  suspect  that  it  was  partly  owdng  to  this 
expedition,  which  brought  the  Fulbe  into  contact  with  tribes  on 
the  coast,  who,  on  account  of  their  dress,  furniture,  and  many 
of  their  customs,  were  regarded  by  them  as  Christians,  that  Mo- 
hammed Lowel  looked  upon  my  presence  with  distrust,  for 
there  were  still  some  hundreds  of  slaves  of  those  so-caUed 
Christian  tribes  scattered  over  A^damawa.  Mohammed  dan 
Jobdi  also,  the  governor  of  Koncha,  has  made  some  very  inter- 
esting expeditions,  the  itineraries  of  some  of  which  I  shall  give 
in  the  Appendix. 

More  powerful  certainly  than  these  two,  and  in  a  state  of 
quasi-dependence  on  the  Governor  of  Tola  only,  though  at  pres- 
ent in  open  hostility  with  him,  is  Biiba,  the  Governor  of  Buban- 
jidda.  The  name  of  this  province  also  is  entirely  new,  and  is 
formed  in  a  very  remarkable  way,  being  compounded  of  the  name 
of  the  conqueror  himself  (Buba)  and  of  that  of  his  mother  (Jid- 


PRmCIPAL  CHIEFS. 


195 


da).  Bubanjidda  is  an  extensive  province,  including  the  dis- 
tricts on  the  upper  course  of  the  Benuwe.  and  its  capital  is  called 
Ray-Buba.  The  governor  is  so  powerful  that,  having  in  vain 
solicited  the  Emir  el  Mumenin,  his  sovereign  lord,  to  make  him 
a  chief  vassal,  like  the  Governor  of  Hamarruwa,  so  as  to  be  in- 
dependent of  the  Governor  of  A^damawa,  he  has  placed  himself 
in  open  opposition  to  both.  It  is  also  very  remarkable  that 
Raj-Buba  (that  is  to  say,  the  town  which  at  present  bears  this 
name)  was,  with  the  exception  of  Tibati,  the  only  walled  town 
which  the  Fulbe  found  in  the  country;  and  it  took  them  three 
months  of  continual  fighting  to  get  possession  of  it.  I  have  al- 
ready mentioned,  in  another  place,  that  this  country  produces 
the  best  sort  of  iron ;  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  more 
warlike  spirit  of  its  inhabitants,  the  Dam  a,  is  in  some  degi'ee 
connected  with  this  circumstance. 

Less  powerful  than  the  three  governors  just  mentioned,  but 
nevertheless  mighty  vassals,  and  most  of  them  valiant  champi- 
ons of  the  faith,  are  the  following  chiefs  :  Bakari  (properly  Bii- 
bakr),  governor  of  Ribago,  north  from  Bubanjidda;  Ardo  Bade- 
shi,  governor  of  the  territories  of  the  Falf ;  M'allem  Sude,  gov- 
ernor of  Holma  ;  M'allem  Hamma,  governor  of  Song  ;  the  gov- 
ernor of  Siimmo  ;*  ]\Iahmud,  governor  of  Kilba ;  M'allem  Dau- 
raka,  governor  of  the  large  settlement  of  ]\Iaruwa  or  ^larba ; 
M'allem  Yusufa,  the  pious  old  governor  of  Binder;  M'allemA^da- 
ma,  the  dashing  governor  of  Agurma  in  the  territory  of  the  Da- 
ma  ;  Ardo  'Omaro,  seignior  of  Sabongi,  near  Bubanjidda ;  Wdl- 
lem  Mustafa,  the  pious  old  lord  of  Mindif ;  Ardo  Gari,  the  en- 
ergetic and  learned  master  of  Bogo,  whose  people  joined  the 
Bornu  army  on  the  expedition  to  JMusgu  which  I  shall  describe 
farther  on  ;  the  lord  of  Kafta-Baudi ;  Hursu  or  Khursu,  master 
of  Pedde  or  Fette. 

The  dominion  of  the  Fulbe  is  generally  centred  in  single  set- 
tlements, which  are  of  various  descriptions,  comprising  not  only 
large  towns,  where  a  numerous  host  of  these  intruders,  and  a 
powerful  chief,  reside,  but  also  more  private  settlements,  such 
as  country  seats  of  governors,  "ribado"  or  "ribago;"  seats  of 
*  Summo,  situated  between  Ilolma  and  Song. 


196 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


mere  petty  chiefs,  or  "joro;"  farm-villages,  or  "uro;"  slave- 
villages,  or  "rumdc."  But  the  Fulbe  are  continually  advanc- 
ing, as  they  have  not  to  do  with  one  strong  enemy,  but  with  a 
number  of  small  tribes  without  any  bond  of  union.  It  remains 
to  be  seen  whether  it  be  their  destiny  to  colonize  this  fine  coun- 
try for  themselves,  or  in  the  course  of  time  to  be  disturbed  by 
the  intrusion  of  Europeans.  It  is  difficult  to  decide  how  a 
Chi'istian  government  is  to  deal  with  these  countries,  where  none 
but  Mohammedans  maintain  any  sort  of  government.  It  can 
not  be  denied  that  they  alone  here  succeed  in  giving  to  distant 
regions  a  certain  bond  of  unity,  and  in  making  the  land  more 
accessible  to  trade  and  intercourse. 

The  most  numerous  among  the  native  tribes,  as  I  have  already 
stated  above,  are  the  Batta,  whose  prince,  Kokomi,  was,  previ- 
ous to  the  conquest  of  the  Fulbe,  the  most  powerful  chief  in  the 
country.  They  are  divided  into  several  great  families,  speaking 
also  various  dialects,  which  in  some  cases  differ  from  each  other 
very  widely,  and  are  closely  related  to  the  Marghi.*  Many  of 
the  names  of  their  districts  serve  to  designate  the  territories  as 
well  as  the  tribes  settled  in  them,  of  which  several  are  still  en- 
tirely independent  of  the  Fulbe. 

The  Batta  inhabit  not  only  all  the  country  on  the  middle 
course  of  the  Benuwe  and  along  the  Faro  for  some  distance  be- 
yond Mount  Alantika,  but  also  the  whole  region  north  from 
these  rivers  as  far  as  the  southern  boundaries  of  Bornu.  It  is  in 
their  language  that  the  river  has  received  the  name  Be-noe  or 
Be-nuwe,  meaning  "  the  Mother  of  Waters." 

The. tribe  which  ranks  next  in  numbers  and  importance  is  the 
Fall,  settled  between  the  upper  course  of  the  Benuwe  and  the 

*  They  are  settled  in  the  following  places :  Song ;  Demsa,  comprising  Demsa- 
Poha  and  Demsa-Mesu,  which  most  picturesque  places  I  shall  soon  describe  on 
my  journey  back  to  Kiikawa;  Sulleri,  Bundang,  Garuwa,  Villachi,  Surkolchi,^  Ka- 
nada,  ATong,  Tawi,  Sedi'ri,  Borongo,  Fawe,  Holchi,  GIrbu,  Karin,  Befate,  Gellefo, 
Furo,  Bengo,  Bulkuto,  Kongchi,  Yogo,  Ganta,  Bagele,  Birgene,  Yebbolewo  orYeb- 
borewo,  Dasin,  Reddo,  Gere,  Keddeme,  Ndong,  Lawaru,  Bang,  Bachama,  Bulla, 
Zani,  Boy,  Kirrengabo,  Bolki,  Murbaya,  Ferma,  Bolimbe,  Alantika,  Komro,  Mala- 
')u,  Mubakko,  Kurachi,  Woko. 

»  These  terminations  in  chi  certainly  do  not  seem  to  be  indigenous. 


THE  FALr. 


197 


southern  provinces  of  Bagirmi,  of  whose  families  and  territories 
(the  same  name  generally  indicating  both)  I  learned  the  follow- 
ing names  :  Safalawa,  Yamyam  (probably  not  an  original  name), 
Gider,  Debba;  Mundam,  with  the  chief  place  Lere,  the  residence 
of  the  powerful  pagan  prince  (kowa)  Gonshome ;  Mambay, 
Dama,  Lame,  Laka,  Duru,  Nanigi,  not  far  east  from  Chamba, 
and  Boka.  Their  idiom  seems  to  be  quite  distinct  from  that  of 
the  Batta,  but  it  shows  some  affinity  with  other  neighboring 
tongues.*  Among  the  few  people  belonging  to  this  tribe  with 
whom  I  came  into  contact,  I  observed  some  of  very  light  color. 
Then  follow  the  Mbum,  living  to  the  south  from  the  Batta  and 
southwest  from  the  Fall,  and  partly  subjected,  the  Fulbe  con- 
querors being  principally  established  in  the  place  called  Ngaun- 
dere.  There  is  another  large  place  called  Bere.  As  separate 
divisions  of  the  Mbum,  I  learned  the  names  of  the  !Maiwa, 
Wuna,  and  Bute.  Southeast  from  the  ]Mbum  live  the  Yange- 
re,  and  still  farther  on  in  that  direction  the  Bay  a.  In  what  re- 
lation the  Chamba,  after  whom  the  large  place  at  the  southern 
foot  of  Jilount  Alantika  is  called,  stand  to  the  above-named 
tribes,  I  can  not  say.  The  Chamba  are  said  to  have  driven 
from  these  seats  the  Kottofo,  who  dwell  at  present  farther  south. 
Then  there  are  several  other  tribes,  ranked  by  my  informants 
as  separate  nations,  the  independence  or  relation  of  which  to  the 
rest  I  am  not  able  to  determine,  as  I  have  not  obtained  speci- 
mens of  their  languages.  These  are  the  Holma,  the  Zuroma- 
wa,  the  Guda,  the  Kilba,  Hona,  Buza,  the  Ba,  Muchelar,  Hma, 
Bula,  Mukuba,t  all  of  whom  live  in  the  mountainous  region  to 
the  southwest  from  Mount  ]\Iindif,  and  no  doubt  are  partially 
cognate  with  other  tribes  ;  but,  in  order  to  group  them,  it  is  nec- 
essary to  collect  specimens  of  their  languages. 

Around  A^damawa,  partly  within,  partly  beyond  its  bounda- 
ries, but  in  a  certain  degrcQ  of  subjection,  are  the  follow^ing 

*  The  numbers  "  three"  (tan)  and  *'  four"  (nan)  seem  to  point  to  the  Fulfulde 
as  well  as  to  the  Kaffir  languages. 

+  It  is  probable  that  this  tribe  is  indicated  by  the  VJLo  of  Makn'zi  (Hamaker, 
Spec.  Catal.^  p.  206),  although  there  are  several  other  localities  of  the  same 
name. 


198 


TKAYELS  IN  AFRICA. 


tribes  :  the  Tikar  (by  this  name,  at  least,  they  are  called  by  the 
Fulbc,  though  they  have  probably  another  name  for  themselves, 
as  by  this  they  do  not  seem  to  be  known  near  the  coast*),  the 
Yetem,  the  Dokaka,  the  Bati,  a  tribe  of  rather  light  color,  the 
Daka,  the  Were,  the  Dingding  (partly  armed  with  muskets,  and 
regarded  by  the  Fiilbe  as  Christians),  the  Mbafu.  Then  the 
Waga,  the  Yangur,  and  the  Eoba.  With  most  of  these  tribes 
the  reader  will  be  brought  into  nearer  contact  by  the  itineraries 
subjoined  in  the  Appendix,  where  I  shall  have  occasion  to  add 
a  few  remarks  with  regard  to  information  obtained  by  Europe- 
ans near  the  coast.  Here,  however,  it  will  not  be  without  in- 
terest to  compare  with  this  list  of  tribes  the  following  list  of 
languages  spoken  in  A^damawa,  which  Mohammedu  gave  me  : 
Battanchi  ;t  Damanchi,  the  idiom  spoken  in  the  province  of  Bu- 
banjidda ;  Falanchi ;  Bumanchi,  or,  perhaps  more  correctly, 
Mbumanchi,  the  language  of  the  ]\Ibum  and  of  the  people  of 
Baya ;  Butanchi ;  Tekarchi ;  Mundanchi ;  Marghanchi Kil- 
banchi ;  Y^angurchi ;  Gudanchi ;  Chambanchi ;  Kotofanchi ; 
Weranchi ;  Duranchi ;  Wokanchi ;  Toganchi ;  Lekamchi ;  Par- 
parchi ;  Kankamchi ;  Nyangeyarechi ;  Musganchi  ;J  Mandaran- 
cln,t  or  rather  "A^ra  Wandala;"  Gizaganchi;  Rumanchi ;  Gi- 
derchi ;  Dabanchi ;  Hinanchi ;  Muturwanchi ;  Zinanchi ;  Za- 
ninchi ;  Momoyeenclii ;  Faninchi,  the  idiom  of  Fani,  the  domin- 
ion of  Hajji  Ghalebu  ;  Nyaganchi ;  Dewanchi ;  Lallanchi ;  Do- 
ganchi ;  Longodanchi.§ 

*  Probably  their  real  name  is  Tik'a.    See  Appendix. 

•f-  The  termination  nchi  is  nothing  but  the  Songhay  word  ki,  which  in  several 
dialects  is  pronounced  as  chf,  and  means  "  language."  On  account  of  this  term- 
ination being  added  to  the  original  name,  I  have  purposely  not  marked  the  ac- 
cents in  this  list. 

t  The  languages  thus  marked  are  spoken  only  partly  in  A'damawa,  the  tribes 
to  whom  they  are  peculiar  being  for  the  greatest  part  independent. 

§  In  the  Appendix  will  be  found  a  collection  of  itineraries,  which,  written 
down  with  accuracy  from  the  mouths  of  the  natives,  will  give  a  sufficient  idea  of 
the  various  districts  of  the  country. 


JOURNEY  HOMEWARD. 


199 


CHAPTER  XXXYIL 

MY  JOUKNEY  HOME  FROM  ADAMaWA, 

Having  made  these  few  remarks  with  regard  to  the  interest- 
ing work  of  conquest  and  colonization  which  is  going  on  in 
A^damawa,  I  now  return  to  my  quarters  in  Ribago,  in  order  to 
carry  the  reader  with  me  on  my  journey  back  from  that  country 
to  Kukawa. 

Wedyiesday^  June  2^th.  Our  luggage  had  been  so  wetted  on' 
the  preceding  afternoon,  while  crossing  the  mayo  Binti,  that  we 
were  obliged  to  stay  in  Ribago  the  whole  morning  in  order  to 
dry  it.  The  horseman  who  had  escorted  me  out  of  the  town 
had  returned,  and  in  his  stead  Ibrahima,  with  a  companion  on 
foot,  had  made  his  appearance  with  orders  from  the  governor  to 
escort  me  to  the  very  frontiers  of  the  country.  In  order  to  ren- 
der him  a  more  sociable  companion,  I  thought  it  well  to  make 
him  a  present  of  a  turkedi.  My  m'allem  had  not  come  along 
with  us ;  and  I  could  not  be  angry  with  him  for  not  desiring  to 
return  to  Kukawa,  where  he  had  been  detained  against  his  will. 
The  horse  on  which  I  had  mounted  him  he  had  well  deserved 
for  his  trouble.  Ibrahi'ma  told  me  that  Katuri  had  come  after 
me  as  far  as  Yebborewo,  thinking  that  I  would  pass  the  night 
there,  but  that  the  governor  would  not  let  him  go  farther. 

Before  starting  in  the  afternoon,  I  made  our  landlady,  the 
wife  of  the  Ardo  of  Ribago,  very  happy  by  a  few  presents,  as 
an  acknowledgment  of  her  hospitality  in  having  twice  entertain- 
ed us  in  her  house.  After  a  short  march  of  a  few  miles,  wc 
took  up  our  quarters  for  the  night  in  Dulo,  where  the  landlord, 
Avho,  a  few  days  ago,  had  been  deprived  of  his  office  of  mayor, 
received  us  at  first  rather  unkindly,  but  afterward  assigned  me 
a  splendid  hut,  where  the  ganga  or  large  drum,  the  ensign  of  his 
former  authority,  was  still  hanging  from  tlie  wall.    I  was  great- 


200 


TKAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


yl  in  want  of  rest,  and  was  obliged,  to  keep  my  Jiead  always  wet, 
and  to  abstain  entirely  from  food. 

Thursday^  June  2Qth.  I  tliought  we  should  certainly  cross 
the  Benuwe  to-day  ;  but,  as  if  in  defiance  of  the  governor  of  the 
country,  Billama  desired  to  move  on  as  slowly  as  possible,  and 
took  us  to  our  well-known  quarters  in  Chabajaure.  But  this 
slow  progress  was  certainly  better  for  me,  as  I  had  this  day  ar- 
rived at  a  crisis,  and  was  dreadfully  weak.  Taking  small  doses 
of  quinine  the  whole  of  the  afternoon,  I  strengthened  myself  for 
the  next  day's  work,  when,  after  five  miles'  march,  we  reached 
the  Tepe. 

Friday^  June  21th.  The  Faro  had  only  risen  a  little  more 
than  twenty  inches  since  the  18th — that  is  to  say,  two  inches 
and  a  half  per  day;  nevertheless,  we  had  great  difficulty  in 
fording  it.  The  Benuwe  had  risen  more  rapidly ;  and,  of 
course,  in  J uly  both  rivers  rise  at  a  very  different  rate.  When 
the  rainy  season  is  at  its  height,  the  sandy  beach  of  the  headland 
at  the  junction  is  almost  completely  under  water;  and  this  was 
the  case  with  our  old  place  of  embarkation  on  the  northern  bank 
of  the  Benuwe,  so  that  I  was  obliged  to  creep  up  the  steep  bank. 

In  order  to  withstand  the  fatigue,  I  continued  taking  quinine 
the  whole  day  long,  and  was  glad  when  in  the  evening  we  reach- 
ed Sulleri,  where,  to  my  astonishment,  we  were  this  time  ex- 
ceedingly well  received.  The  mayor  of  the  place  would  not 
allow  me  to  start  the  following  day,  although  my  camels  were 
already  laden,  and  a  beautiful  fine  morning  invited  us  to  trav- 
el. After  a  good  deal  of  resistance,  I  at  length  gave  way  to  his 
entreaties,  under  the  condition  that  he  would  construct  for  me 
a  cool  shed  wherein  to  spend  the  heat  of  the  day  ;  and  in  twen- 
ty minutes  a  lofty  hall  had  risen  from  the  earth.  Thus  I  spent 
the  day  very  comfortably ;  and,  although  I  was  unable  to  alle- 
viate the  pain  suffered  by  my  host  from  an  arrow-wound  in  one 
of  his  eyes,  or  to  give  him  a  charm  to  prevent  the  death  of  his 
cattle,  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  effect  a  splendid  cure  on  one  of 
his  sons,  which  procured  me  great  fame. 

Saturday^  June  2^th,  On  leaving  Sulleri  in  the  morning,  we 
took  a  different  route  from  that  previously  traversed,  and  which 


PICTURESQUE  CONE. 


201 


proved  infinitely  more  interesting,  although  in  the  morning,  aft- 
er we  had  passed  a  small  farm-village,  where  all  the  field-labor- 
ers were  at  work,  we  had  to  cross  a  very  extensive  forest,  and 
I  became  greatly  exhausted.  Having  passed,  about  noon,  sev- 
eral villages,  which  proved  to  be  all  slave-villages,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one,  which  contained  a  lord's  mansion  of  neat  appear- 
ance, suddenly  the  character  of  the  country  changed  entirely, 
and  we  came  to  a  wide  depression  or  hollow,  from  one  hundred 
to  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  deep,  which,  winding  round  on 
our  left,  formed  a  fine  green  vale,  bordered  on  the  other  side  by 
a  picturesque  cone,*  rising  abruptly,  and  forming  on  the  east 


side  a  wooded  terrace,  while  on  the  west  it  displayed  a  steep, 
bare  rocky  flank  of  horizontal  strata,  and  on  this  side,  after  a 
small  interruption,  a  low  ridge  attached  to  it  encircling  the  hol- 
low on  all  sides. 

Having  reached  the  southeastern  foot  of  the  cone  by  a  grad- 
ual ascent,  we  obtained  a  view  over  the  varied  and  rich  scenery 
before  us,  a  luxuriant  mass  of  vegetation  broken  at  intervals  by 
comfortable-looking  little  hamlets,  and  bounded  in  the  distance 
by  a  cone  stretching  out  to  a  great  length.  Having  crossed  a 
small  water-course,  and  wound  along  between  erratic  blocks  of 
granite,  scattered  about  in  wild  disorder,  and  interrupted,  wher- 
ever the  ground  offered  a  small  level,  by  rich  crops  of  grain,  we 
reached  the  first  hamlet  of  this  most  picturesque  locality.  It  is 
one  of  the  chief  seats  of  the  Demsa,  or  rather  comprises  two 
distinct  villages,  namely,  Demsa-Poha  and  Demsa-Mesu. 

*  In  this  sketch,  made  just  at  the  moment,  I  aimed  only  at  giving  the  out- 
lines of  the  mount,  without  any  pretension  to  represent  the  country  around.  The 
foreground,  therefore,  is  left  quite  level. 


202 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


It  was,  indeed,  a  most  charming  sight  when  we  made  oui' 
way  along  a  broad,  well-trodden  path,  surrounded  on  both  sides 
by  neatly-fenced  clusters  of  large  huts,  encompassed  by  waving 
corn  and  picturesque  clusters  of  trees.  Thus  we  reached  the 
"lamorde,"  the  residence  of  the  governor,  which  is  situated  at 
a  short  distance  from  the  southern  foot  of  the  large  granitic 
cone ;  but  he  was  absent,  haying  gone  on  an  expedition  against 
the  Furi,  an  independent  pagan  tribe  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
we  had  to  wait  some  time  before  his  servants  undertook  to  as- 
sign us  quarters,  when  we  had  to  retrace  our  steps  to  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  village.  It  was  half  past  four  in  the  afternoon 
when,  feverish  and  extremely  weak  as  I  was,  I  at  length  found 
rest ;  but,  while  reclining  at  full  length  in  a  cool  shade,  I  list- 
ened with  delight  to  Ibrahima's  chat,  who,  in  order  to  cheer  my 
spirits,  gave  me  an  account  of  that  famous  expedition  to  the  far 
south  which  the  Fulbe  of  A^damawa  undertook  a  few  years  ago, 
and  to  which  I  have  already  alluded. 

This  memorable  campaign  having  proceeded  from  Bubanjid- 
da,  none  of  the  people  of  A^damawa,  whose  acquaintance  I  was 
able  to  make  during  my  short  stay  in  the  country,  had  partici- 
pated in  it,  so  that  all  the  accounts  which  I  received  of  it  were 
extremely  vague.  The  expedition,  after  a  march  of  almost  two 
months,  is  said  to  have  reached  an  unbounded  expanse  of  un- 
broken plain,  and,  having  kept  along  it  for  a  day  or  two,  to  have 
arrived  at  an  immense  tree,  in  the  shade  of  which  the  whole 
host  found  sufficient  room.  Here  they  found  two  natives  of 
the  southern  regions,  who  informed  them  that  they  were  the 
subjects  of  a  powerful  queen  that  resided  in  a  vast  town  of  two 
days'  march  in  circumference.  These  people,  they  say,  were 
of  short  stature,  and  wore  long  beards.  Frightened  by  these 
reports,  and  by  the  waterless  tract  before  them,  the  expedition 
retraced  their  steps.  Similar  reports  with  regard  to  a  very 
powerful  female  sovereign  toward  the  south  are  also  current  in 
Bagi'rmi  and  all  the  adjacent  country ;  but  I  am  not  able  to  de- 
termine whether  they  originate  in  famt  rumors,  spread  so  far 
north,  of  the  powerful  kingdom  of  Muata-ya-Nvo,  or — of  Queen 
Victoria. 


BEAUTIFUL  COLT^TRY. 


205 


To  my  great  satisfaction,  we  ^yere  obliged  to  stay  here  the 
next  day,  in  order  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  lamido,  when,  feel- 
ing greatly  recruited  by  a  good  night's  and  half  a  day's  rest,  I 
crept  out  of  my  well-polished  round  little  clay  hut  in  the  after- 
noon, and,  crossing  the  neatly-fenced  promenade  of  the  strag- 
gling village,  ascended  a  neighboring  eminence  formed  by  an 
irregular  mass  of  granite  blocks,  to  the  north  of  our  quarters. 
Here  I  spent  two  delicious  hours  in  the  tranquil  contemplation 
of  the  picturesque  scenery,  which  I  thought  the  most  interest- 
ing I  had  yet  seen  in  this  quarter  of  the  world.  The  accompa- 
nying view  presents  but  a  very  faint  idea  of  its  peculiar  fea- 
tures, but  I  hope  it  will  give  the  reader  some  conception  of  the 
nature  of  this  country  in  general,  which  enables  the  pagan  na- 
tives between  this  district  and  Hamarruwa  to  defend  their  lib- 
erty and  independence  against  the  Mohammedan  intruders. 
These  tribes  are,  after  the  Demsa,  who  seem  to  foiTu  a  tolerably 
numerous  body,  first,  the  Mbula,  probably  the  same  who  have 
given  their  name  to  the  place  situated  at  some  distance  from 
Mount  Mindif,  and  mentioned  above  ;  then,  farther  west,  or 
northwest,  the  Bachama,  and  still  farther  west,  the  Tangale, 
with  both  of  whom  ]\Ir.  Yogel,  on  his  recent  journey  from  Ya- 
kuba  to  Hamarruwa,  has  come  in  contact. 

Tuesday^  July  \st  We  made  a  short  but  highly  interesting 
march  to  the  place  of  our  old  friend  the  m'allem  Delil.  The 
scenery  was  rich  and  beautiful,  the  crops  of  Guinea-^corn  stand- 
ing from  four  to  five  feet  high,  alternating  with  fields  where 
goza,  a  kind  of  yams,  were  grown,  and  adorned  with  fine  spread- 
ing trees,  among  which  the  tarmu  and  the  kuka  or  monkey- 
bread-tree  predominated ;  even  the  rocky  eminences  were  all 
overgrown  with  fresh  vegetation.  We  then  passed  a  sort  of 
shallow  river,  or  sel,  which  is  called  by  the  Kanuri  "ngaljam," 
and  forms  a  characteristic  feature  of  Demsa,  while  on  our  right 
it  expanded  to  a  conspicuous  sheet  of  water,  bordered  by  blocks 
and  masses  of  rocks  full  of  vegetation.  It  was  overgrown  with 
rank  reed  at  the  spot  where  we  crossed  it. 

Only  a  few  minutes  beyond  this  almost  stagnant  water  on 
G^reen  meadow-land,  we  crossed  the  broad  and  clear  torrent  of 


I 


206  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

the  mayo  Tiyel,  rushing  ahead  over  a  gravelly  bottom,  and  at 
times  rolling  along  a  considerable  quantity  of  water.  Accord- 
ing to  my  guides,  it  is  formed  by  three  branches,  one  issuing 
from  Bases  toward  the  N.E.,  the  other  coming  from  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Belem,  and  the  third  from  the  N.W.,  from  Bingel. 
Only  a  few  hundred  yards  farther  on  we  passed  on  our  left  an- 
other broad  sheet  of  water,  apparently  of  great  depth,  which  is 
said  to  preserve  the  same  level  at  all  times  of  the  year.  It  is 
full  of  crocodiles,  and  bordered  by  the  richest  vegetation,  and, 
being  apparently  quite  isolated,  has  a  very  curious  appearance. 
Perhaps  it  is  fed  by  subterranean  sources.  It  is  surrounded  by 
beautiful  pasture-grounds. 

We  then  traversed  a  fine  open  country,  passing  some  villages, 
while  the  road  was  enlivened  by  a  troop  of  travelers  (colonists 
from  Bornu),  among  whom  there  were  some  remarkably  hand- 
some women  mounted  on  bullocks,  who  bore  sufficient  testimo- 
ny to  the  fact  that  the  more  elevated  districts  of  A^damawa  are 
salubrious  and  favorable  for  man.  We  reached  Belem  at  about 
two  o'clock ;  but,  before  we  arrived  there,  a  circumstance  hap- 
pened which  I  must  not  omit  to  mention,  as  it  is  rather  charac- 
teristic ;  for  suddenly  two  of  Mohammed  Lowel's  servants  ap- 
peared with  the  horse  which  Billama  had  sold  to  the  governor 
for  the  price  of  twenty  slaves,  returning  it  under  some  pretext, 
but  in  reality  for  no  other  reason  than  because  he  was  afraid 
lest  it  might  operate  by  way  of  charm,  and  injure  him.  Billa- 
ma was  to  have  received  the  slaves  in  the  towns  still  before  us. 

We  staid  in  Belem  this  day  and  the  following,  and  I  was 
pestered  a  little  by  the  family  of  old  j\rallem  Delil,  but  partic- 
ularly by  his  daughter,  rather  a  handsome  person,  who  had  been 
divorced  from  her  former  husband  (I  think  Mansur,  the  younger 
brother  of  Mohammed  Lowel),  and  wanted  me  by  all  means  to 
write  her  a  charm  to  get  her  another  husband  after  her  heart's 
desire.  She  was  a  very  passionate  sort  of  woman,  and  when 
smelling,  against  my  wish,  from  my  vial  of  hartshorn,  was 
seized  with  such  violent  convulsions  that  she  was  carried  sense- 
less out  of  my  tent,  and  remained  in  this  state  for  nearly  an 
hour.    The  stay  here  was  the  more  disagreeable  to  me,  as  it 


MU'GLEBU'. 


209 


was  caused  partly  by  tlie  trading  propensities  of  my  servant 
Bu-S'ad ;  and  not  only  did  lie  buy  ivory,  which  he  had  the  in- 
solence to  add  to  the  loads  of  my  weak  camels,  but  even  three 
slaves,  so  that  I  was  obliged  to  dismiss  him  instantly  from  my 
service,  although  I  had  nothing  wherewith  to  pay  him  off.  It 
is  extremely  difficult  for  a  single  European  to  proceed  in  these 
countries  with  hired  servants,  as  he  loses  all  control  over  them. 
This  man,  who  had  been  the  late  Mr.  Richardson's  servant  as 
well  as  mine,  turned  out,  like  Mukni,  Mr.  Richardson's  inter- 
preter, a  great  slave-dealer,  and  in  1855,  when  I  was  leaving 
Central  Africa,  collected  a  numerous  gang  of  slaves  in  this  very 
country,  which  he  had  before  visited  as  my  servant. 

Thursday^  July  ?>d.  We  at  length  resumed  our  journey,  but 
only  to  reach  Sarawu  Berebere,  where  we  took  up  our  quarters 
in  the  comfortable  court-yard  which  I  have  described  on  our 
outward  journey.  I  will  only  record  the  pleasing  fact  that,  as 
soon  as  the  news  spread  in  the  town  of  my  having  returned,  a 
man  whom  I  had  cured  of  disease  during  my  former  stay  brought 
me  a  handsome  gazelle-skin  as  an  acknowledgment. 

The  next  day  we  followed  our  ancient  road  by  Badamjo,  and 
reached  Segero ;  but  on  Saturday,  after  having  passed  Mbutu- 
di  without  any  other  delay  than  that  of  buying  with  beads  a 
little  milk  from  our  Fulbe  friends,  we  took  a  more  easterly  path, 
which  brought  us  to  Muglebu,  a  village  which  exhibited  to  us 
an  interesting  picture  of  the  exuberance  that  reigns  in  these  re- 
gions at  this  time  of  the  year.  The  huts  were  scarcely  visible, 
on  account  of  the  rich  crops  of  grain  which  surrounded  them  on 
all  sides,  while  Palma  Christi  formed  thick  clusters  of  bushes, 
and  a  few  specimens  of  a  remarkable  tree  which  I  had  never 
observed  before,  besides  isolated  bananas,  rose  above  the  rich 
mass  of  vegetation,  and  gave  to  the  whole  the  charm  of  novel- 
ty ;  but  the  weather  was  so  wet  that  I  could  make  but  a  very 
slight  sketch,  and  was  wholly  prevented  from  rambling  about, 
the  rain  continuing  the  whole  afternoon.  Besides,  all  my  ener- 
gy was  required  to  assist  my  three  servants,  who  were  all  se- 
verely ill ;  and  while  I  administered  to  two  of  them  emetics,  I 
had  to  soothe  'Abd-AUah  with  a  dose  of  laudanum.    It  was  very 

Vol.  II.— O 


210  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

fortunate  indeed  that  I  myself  felt  a  little  better.  In  short,  our 
stay  here  was  any  thing  but  agreeable,  and  I  was  worried  by 
several  people  with  demands  which  exceeded  my  power — such 
as  to  drive  out  devils,  relieve  impotency,  and  so  on ;  but  the 
mayor  sent  me  a  goat,  fowls,  milk,  and  a  little  butter.  The 
village,  which  consisted  of  about  two  hundred  huts,  seemed  to 
be  in  good  circumstances. 

Sunday^  July  Qth.  When  we  started,  at  a  tolerably  early 
hour  in  the  morning,  the  weather  was  clear  and  favorable ;  but 
after  we  had  crossed  the  little  mountain  chain  which  surrounds 
the  village  of  Muglebu  at  some  distance  to  the  east  and  north, 
and  reached  a  small  hamlet  presenting  signs  of  very  careful  cul- 
tivation, and  numerous  herds  of  cattle,  we  were  drenched  by  a 
heavy  shower.  It  is  generally  supposed  that  storms  in  the 
tropical  climes  break  forth  in  the  afternoon  or  in  the  course  of 
the  night — and  this  certainly  is  the  general  rule ;  but  if  there 
has  been  a  storm  the  day  before  or  during  the  night,  and  the 
weather  has  not  cleared  up,  there  can  be  no  certainty  that  it  will 
not  come  on  again  in  the  course  of  the  morning.  It  is  rather  a 
rare  phenomenon  in  these  regions  for  a  storm  to  gather  in  the 
morning  on  a  clear  sky ;  but,  nevertheless,  the  reader  will  find 
several  examples  even  of  this  in  my  meteorological  tables.* 
The  natives  are  not  at  all  insensible  to  rain  ;  and  while  the  Ka- 
nembuf  "who  had  attached  themselves  to  our  caravan  in  Bada- 
nijo  were  protecting  their  persons  with  their  light  wooden  shields, 
the  natives  of  the  country  collected  thick  bushes,  and  formed  a 
sort  of  natural  umbrella  over  their  heads.  To  protect  the  head, 
at  least,  from  wet  is  most  essential  in  these  climes.  On  anoth- 
er occasion,  when  I  come  to  speak  about  the  prevailing  kinds 
of  disease,  I  shall  have  to  mention  how  dreadfully  the  Fulbe 
sometimes  suffer  from  the  maladies  of  the  rainy  season,  when 
employed  on  their  warlike  expeditions. 

*  In  Bombay  the  greatest  fall  of  rain  has  been  observed  a  little  before  and  aft- 
er morning.  Magneiical  and  Meteorological  Obsei'vations,  Bombay,  1853,  Meteor- 
ological Results,  p.  73. 

t  In  my  collection  of  itineraries  traversing  the  country  of  A'damawa  I  shall 
have  occasion  to  mention  several  places  where,  besides  Kaniiri,  Kanembii  are  also 
settled. 


MU'BI. 


211 


Early  in  the  morning  we  reached  Mufi  or  Mubi,  but  were  re- 
ceived so  inhospitably  that  we  had  great  difficulty  in  obtaining 
quarters,  for  which  we  were  obliged  to  keep  fighting  the  whole 
day,  as  a  quarrelsome  m'allem  wished  to  dislodge  me  from  the 
hut  of  which  I  had  taken  possession.  Fortunately,  his  better 
half  bore  the  inconvenience  with  more  equanimity,  and  I  put 
up  cheerfully  with  the  little  trouble  which  she  gave  me  from 
time  to  time  by  calling  at  the  door  and  begging  me  to  hand  to  her 
some  little  articles  of  her  simple  household  furniture.  ^ly  three 
people  were  so  sick  that  they  lay  like  so  many  corpses  on  the 
ground  ;  and  their  condition  prevented  us  from  setting  out  even 
on  the  following  day,  notwithstanding  the  inhospitable  manner 
in  which  we  were  treated  here,  so  that  I  had  ample  leisure  to 
study  minutely  the  architecture  of  my  residence,  of  which  I  here 
subjoin  a  ground-plan. 

The  hut,  measuring  about  twelve  feet 
in  diameter,  was  built  in  the  manner  most 
usual  in  these  regions — namely,  of  clay 
walls,  with  a  thatched  roof.  The  door, 
a  little  elevated  above  the  floor,  was  three 
feet  high  and  fifteen  inches  wide,  and  not 
at  all  adapted  for  very  stout  persons. 
From  the  wall  at  the  right  of  the  door  (a) 
ran  another  wall,  "garuwel  sudo,"  of  the  same  height,  but  un~ 
connected  v/ith  the  roof,  right  across  the  hut  in  an  oblique  line, 
to  the  length  of  about  six  feet,  separating  one  part  of  the  dwell- 
ing, and  securing  to  it  more  privacy.  In  this  compartment  was 
the  bed  (c),  consisting  of  a  frame  made  of  branches,  and  spread 
over  pilasters  of  clay  about  three  feet  high.  In  the  most  se- 
questered part  of  the  hut,  in  the  corner  formed  by  the  round  in- 
closing wall  and  the  oblique  one,  at  the  top  of  the  bed — "kela 
kaga,"  as  the  Kaniiri  say — stood  the  corn-urn  (c?),  about  six  feet 
high,  and  in  its  largest  part  two  feet  wide,  destined  to  keep  a 
certain  provision  of  corn  always  at  hand  ;  besides  this,  there  was 
a  smaller  one  {fe)  at  the  foot  of  the  bed — "  shi  kaga."  At  the 
side  of  this  smaller  urn  were  two  small  pedestals  of  clay  {(J), 
serving  the  purpose  of  a  sideboard,  in  order  to  place  upon  them 


212 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


pots  or  other  articles.  Then  followed  the  kitchen,  "  defForide" 
{/i),  still  under  cover  of  the  oblique  wall,  but  exactly  on  a  line 
with  it,  so  that  the  smoke  might  more  easily  find  its  way  through 
the  door,  and  consisting  of  a  narrow  place  inclosed  on  each  side 
by  a  low  wall,  to  protect  the  fire,  between  which  three  stones, 
or  rather  small  clay  mounds  like  fire-bricks,  supported  the  cook- 
ing-pot, while  a  small  wooden  footstool  (2)  ac- 
commodated the  industrious  landlady  when  busy 
with  her  most  important  culinary  employment. 
While  to  all  this  part  of  the  hut  a  certain  degree  of  privacy  was 
secured  by  the  oblique  wall,  a  considerable  space  to  the  left  of 
the  door  remained  unprotected,  and  here  stood  the  large  water- 


urn  (/),  which,  always  remaining  in  its  place,  is  filled  by  means 
of  smaller  portable  urns  or  pitchers. 

Tuesday^  July  Sth.  It  seemed  almost  as  if  we  were  destined 
to  stay  another  day  in  this  place,  for  just  when  we  were  about 
to  start  a  most  violent  shower  came  down,  and  lasted  full  two 
hours.  When  at  length  we  were  able  to  set  out  on  our  road  to 
U^ba,  it  was  excessively  w^et,  the  streams  greatly  swollen,  and 
the  weather  still  any  thing  but  bright  and  clear.  At  U^ba, 
again,  we  remained  much  longer  than  I  wished.  In  the  even- 
ing, after  our  arrival,  the  governor  went  on  an  expedition  against 
the  Kilba-Gaya.  Falling  suddenly  upon  the  poor  pagans  at 
early  dawn,  he  captured  a  good  many  slaves  ;  but  the  persecuted 
natives  rallied,  and,  taking  advantage  of  a  defile  through  which 
he  had  to  pass  on  his  return  to  his  residence,  suddenly  attacked 
him,  and  succeeded  in  rescuing  all  their  countrymen  from  the 
hands  of  their  relentless  enemies. 

During  my  absence  the  corn  had  almost  ripened,  and  the 
fields  afforded  a  spectacle  of  the  utmost  exuberance.  Almost 
ail  the  grain  here  is  sorghum,  and  mostly  of  the  white  kind ; 


U'BA. 


213 


the  average  height  of  the  stalks  was  from  nine  to  ten  feet.  The 
whole  area  of  the  town  was  clothed  in  the  richest  vegetation,  of 
great  variety,  Avliere  a  botanist  might  have  made  a  numerous 
collection. 

Thursday^  July  10th.  Ibrahima,  the  principal  of  the  two  men 
whom  Mohammed  Lowel  had  appointed  to  escort  me  to  the 
frontier  of  his  province,  accompanied  me  a  short  distance  when 
we  left  U^ba.  This  man,  wlio,  perhaps  because  he  was  not  well 
treated  in  Kukawa,  behaved  rather  sullenly  on  our  journey  to 
A^damawa,  had  become  infinitely  more  amiable  after  the  gov- 
ernor of  that  country  had  sent  me  back.  He  not  only  mani- 
fested on  every  occasion  his  heartfelt  sorrow  on  account  of  my 
having  been  disappointed  in  the  expectation  of  traveling  over 
that  interesting  country  in  every  direction,  but  he  still  more 
lamented  that  his  countrymen  had  been  deprived,  by  the  impru- 
dence of  their  ruler,  of  the  advantage  of  my  presence  in  the 
country.  I  have  had  occasion  to  observe  repeatedly  that  there 
is  a  great  deal  of  republican  spirit  in  the  Fulbe,  and  tliat  they 
have,  in  general,  the  air  and  manners  of  freeborn  men,  though 
I  shall  have  to  dwell  upon  the  deterioration  of  this  original  char- 
acter in  the  case  of  the  inhabitants  of  Sokoto. 

The  commencement  of  our  march  through  the  unsafe  and  in- 
fested boundary  district  from  U^ba  northward  was  not  very  au- 
spicious, and  I  was  almost  afraid  lest,  after  having  been  allow- 
ed to  reach  the  frontier  unmolested,  we  were  doomed*  to  some 
insidious  treachery  in  these  lawless  lands.  The  original  ar- 
rangement was  that  some  other  people  should  succeed  to  Ibra- 
hima, in  order  to  see  me  safe  to  I^ssege ;  but  they  never  made 
tlieir  appearance,  and  we  had  scarcely  parted  from  Ibrahima 
when  all  sorts  of  alarms  frightened  and  disturbed  our  little  band. 
First  a  dreadful  noise  was  heard  from  above  the  rocks  at  the 
foot  of  wliich  lay  our  road ;  but  it  was  found  to  proceed  only 
from  a  countless  multitude  of  birds  of  prey  enjoying  their  lib- 
erty in  noisy  mirth.  Then,  when  we  reached  the  fields  of  corn 
within  this  rocky  passage,  which  on  our  outward  journey  we  had 
seen  under  cultivation,  we  were  prevented  by  armed  men  from 
passing  through  them,  and  were  obliged  to  make  a  long  circuit. 


214 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


A  little  further  on  people  came  running  after  us,  and  attempted 
to  take  away  by  force  two  of  the  slaves  whom  some  of  our  com- 
panions were  leading  along ;  and,  when  resisted,  they  raised  a 
dismal  cry  for  help,  which  was  heard  resounding  to  a  great  dis- 
tance tlirough  the  wild  country.  Serious  quarrels  seemed  im- 
minent ;  but,  fortunately,  no  one  came  to  their  assistance. 

About  thirty  travelers,  all  of  them  armed  either  with  spears 
or  with  bows  and  arrows,  had  attached  themselves  to  our  troop. 
I  got  ready  all  my  cartridges,  and  we  were  well  on  our  guard. 
We  had  advanced  about  five  miles  from  U''ba,  and  were  in  the 
middle  of  the  forest,  when  a  more  serious  alarm  arose,  several 
people  being  seen  lurking  among  the  trees — an  unmistakable 
proof  that  they  meditated  an  attack  if  we  should  exhibit  any 
signs  of  w^eakness.  We  therefore  rallied  a  moment,  and  formed 
in  front,  the  most  sturdy  of  our  spearmen  gathering  round  me, 
and  begging  me  to  take  steady  aim  when  they  should  point  out 
to  me  the  chief  men.  But  the  natives,  belonging  most  probably 
to  the  tribe  of  the  Baza,  who  always  infest  this  road,  seeing  that 
we  were  prepared  to  receive  them,  did  not  dare  to  quit  their  am- 
bush ;  and,  having  continued  a  while  along  the  path,  we  thought 
it  wiser  to  leave  it,  and  struck  off  to  the  west  into  the  thickest 
covert  of  the  wood,  where  the  camels,  with  their  luggage,  had 
some  difficulty  in  passing  through,  especially  as  the  soil  was 
cracked  and  rent  in  all  directions.  Having  trudged  on  in  this 
way  for  about  two  hours,  and  feeling  sure  that  we  were  not 
pursued,  we  returned  to  the  path,  but  left  it  again  about  noon, 
and,  pursuing  another  track,  reached  Laliaula,  a  village  of  un- 
lucky memory,  on  the  western  side.  But  this  time  we  were 
well  received,  not  only  by  'Aisha,  but  also  by  his  wild  and  pas- 
sionate son,  who  became  a  great  friend  of  mine,  and,  having  re- 
ceived from  me  a  present  of  a  knife,  brought  me  three 
fowls  in  return,  while  his  father  sent  tuwo  for  all  my 
people.  I  sketched  the  danisko,  or  hand-bill,  of  my 
friend,  which  was  of  a  peculiarly  regular  shape. 

Friday^  July  Wth,  On  leaving  Lahaula  in  the  morn- 
ing, we  again  preferred  the  covert  to  the  beaten  path ; 
but,  after  we  had  gone  round  Kofa,  which  Billama 


rSSEGE. 


215 


thought  it  better  to  avoid,  we  returned  to  our  well-known  road 
parallel  to  the  river  and  the  mountain  chain  beyond,  and  reach- 
ed Tssege,  without  any  accident,  early  in  the  afternoon.  There, 
too,  my  reception  was  very  different  from  that  which  I  had  ex- 
perienced on  my  going,  and  I  was  received  with  the  utmost 
kindness  and  hospitality  into  the  house  of  a  wealthy  family  at 
the  northern  end  of  the  village,  and  quartered  in  a  neat  little 
hut,  the  walls  of  which  consisted  of  thatch,  like  the  roof,  but 
were  plastered  over  with  clay.  The  little  hut,  which  scarcely 
measured  seven  feet  in  diameter,  contained  two  couches,  one 
raised  above  the  ground  to  the  right,  and  the  other  on  the  level 
of  the  ground  on  the  left  of  the  entrance.  Three  spears,  a  com- 
mon shield,  and  a  large  shield  called  '*chaggo"by  the  Marghi, 
"kutufani"  by  the  Kaniiri,  consisting  of  a  thick  texture  of  reed, 
and  big  enough  to  protect  two  or  three  persons,  a  basket  and  a 
net,  "  uturu,"  hanging  from  the  roof,  formed  the  furniture  of  this 
little  dwelling,  which  was  the  apartment  of  the  youngest  son  of 
the  family,  a  fine,  tall,  and  slender  young  man,  with  a  very 
pleasant  expression  of  countenance.  Except  that  he  wore  the 
"funo,"  a  small  leather  apron,  round  his  waist,  he  was  quite 
naked,  but  loaded  with  coquettish  ornaments.  Kound  his  neck 
he  wore  a  double  string  of  red  beads,  a  little  lower  another  set 
of  three  strings  of  corals,  and  still  lower  again  a  set  of  two 
strings  of  iron  beads ;  on  his  left  shoulder  he  wore  four  broad 
iron  rings,  or  "  kegela ;"  on  his  elbow  two  other  narrow  iron 
rings  (barachaggo),  very  neatly  worked  like  beads  ;  on  his  wrist 
six  narrow  and  one  broad  iron  ring,  or  "  unzo,"  and  above  them 
an  ivory  ring,  or  "yecho."  The  right  arm  was  not  so  richly 
endowed  with  ornaments,  having  only  four  iron  rings  at  the  up- 
per part,  and  two  on  the  wrist.  Below  his  knee  he  wore  a 
chain  of  cotton,  very  neatly  twisted ;  this  is  called  "  shisMd- 
deri  and  on  his  foot-joint  a  narrow  iron  ring  called  "  milte- 
do."  However,  I  observed  afterward  that  this  young  man  did 
not  wear  all  the  national  ornaments  of  his  tribe,  for  I  saw  oth- 
ers who  wore  in  addition  an  iron  chain  round  their  loins,  which 
is  called  "shushii."    All  these  iron  articles  are  very  neatly 

*  Perhaps  this  was  a  sign  of  mourning. 


216 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


inacle  by  the  people  of  Wandala,  Mora  being  only  two  clays' 
march  from  this  ;  and  I  only  regret  that  I  was  not  able  to  bring 
some  of  these  articles  home  as  specimens  of  the  industry  of  the 
natives,  as  well  as  of  the  excellent  quality  of  iron  which  they 
possess.  This  young  man  did  not  wear  the  "  ser,"  as  they  call 
it — a  small  reed  or  feather  in  the  left  ear. 

I  delighted  my  youthful  host  by  the  present  of  a  mirror ;  and 
I  gave  a  knife  to  his  father  when  he  returned  from  the  labor  of 
the  field.  My  little  hut  was  not  without  a  crowd  of  visitors 
the  whole  of  the  afternoon,  all  the  friends  of  my  host  coming  to 
see  me.  Tliey  were  admitted  in  a  regular  way,  five  at  a  time, 
and  behaved  very  decently,  while  they  admired  the  few  curious 
things  which  I  had  to  show  them.  I  was  greatly  amused  by 
the  simplicity  of  my  young  host  and  one  of  his  brothers,  who, 
when  I  presented  them  with  small  bits  of  sugar,  gradually  nib- 
bled them  away,  and  at  the  same  time  compared  their  size  con- 
tinually till  they  were  reduced  to  very  diminutive  morsels, 
when  they  agreed  between  them  to  give  the  remnants  to  a  sister. 

The  language  of  these  people,  which,  as  I  have  stated,  is  in- 
timately related  to  that  of  the  Batta,  seems  to  show  that  they 
belong  rather  to  the  family  of  South  African  tribes  than  to  the 
group  of  neighboring  tribes  of  Central  Negroland. 

We  had  plenty  of  good  fare  in  the  evening,  the  Bornu  titular 
mayor  of  the  place  sending  me  a  sheep,  besides  corn  for  the 
horses,  and  our  hosts  preparing  a  fowl  for  myself,  and  several 
dishes  of  hasty-pudding,  with  fish-sauce,  for  my  people.  The 
evening  being  clear,  and  illuminated  by  splendid  moonlight,  I 
sat  a  long  time  outside  —  perhaps  too  long,  in  my  precarious 
state  of  health — enjoying  the  sound  of  music  and  dancing  w^iich 
came  from  the  opposite  quarter  of  the  village  ;  but  I  was  not  a 
little  astonished  when  I  heard  from  my  young  friend,  whom  I 
asked  why  he  did  not  go  to  join  in  the  merriment,  that  it  was 
not  an  ordinary  amusement,  but  a  religious  dance  to  celebrate 
the  death  of  an  old  man  ;  for  if  a  person  in  old  age  dies,  his 
death  is  deemed  a  cause  of  satisfaction  and  mirth,  while  that  of 
a  young  one  is  lamented  with  tears. 

I  have  already  noticed  some  peculiar  customs  of  the  Marglii ; 


CUSTOMS  OF  THE  MARGHI'. 


217 


but  I  must  say  a  few  words  about  their  curious  ordeal  on  the 
holy  granite  rock  of  Kobshi.  When  two  are  litigating  about  a 
matter,  each  of  them  takes  a  cock  which  he  thinks  the  best  for 
fighting,  and  they  go  together  to  Kobshi.  Having  arrived  at 
the  holy  rock,  they  set  their  birds  a  lighting,  and  he  whose  cock 
prevails  in  the  combat  is  also  the  winner  in  the  point  of  litiga- 
tion. But  more  than  that,  the  master  of  the  defeated  cock  is 
punished  by  the  divinity  whose  anger  he  has  thus  provoked, 
and  on  returning  to  his  village  he  finds  his  hut  in  flames. 

It  is  evident  that  this  tribe,  as  well  as  many  of  the  neighbor- 
ing ones,  venerate  their  forefathers,  in  which  respect  they  closely 
resemble  the  South  African  tribes,  although  the  Berbers  also 
seem  originally  to  have  had  this  sort  of  worship  as  well  as  the 
Hausa  people.  The  Marghi  do  not  practice  circumcision ;  but, 
what  seems  very  remarkable,  they  practice  inoculation  for  the 
small-pox,  at  least  to  a  considerable  extent. 

As  I  was  sitting  outside  the  court-yard,  by  degrees  a  great 
many  natives  collected  round  me,  when  a  young  man  took  me 
aside  and  entreated  me  earnestly  to  give  him  a  remedy  against 
the  dislike  of  people.  I,  however,  soon  succeeded  in  making 
him  confess  that  he  meant  only  the  dislike  of  one  girl,  who,  he 
said,  did  not  relish  his  haughty  demeanor,  and  that  he  was  re- 
duced to  a  state  of  desperation,  and  wished  for  nothing  but  to 
die  in  battle.  This  example  shows  that  even  these  simple  peo- 
.  pie  have  some  sentiment  of  love. 

Saturday^  July  12th,  I  had  some  difficulty  in  persuading 
Billama  to  leave  this  hospitable  place ;  but  "I  was  ashamed  to 
cause  these  good  people,  who  had  been  robbed  and  despoiled  a 
short  time  ago  by  Kashella  'All,  any  more  trouble.  We  took  a 
more  easterly  path  than  that  by  which  we  had  traveled  before, 
but  nearly  of  the  same  character — full  of  holes  and  crevices,  and 
covered  with  thick  forest,  while  the  nutritive  root  "kataldrri" 
employed  the  several  members  of  our  caravan  continually,  par- 
ticularly a  Piillo  pilgrim  from  the  far  west  near  the  coast,  who 
was  indefatigable  in  digging  as  well  as  in  eating.  We  had  only 
proceeded  a  few  miles  when  me  met  a  troop  of  Marghi,  who  were 
going  to  perform  a  sacrifice  in  the  holy  grove  of  Pssege,  one 


218 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


of  them  carrying  a  sheep  and  another  a  fowl.  One  of 
them  had  ornamented  his  shield  with  red  lines,  which 
on  the  black  ground  of  the  elephant's  hide  were  quite 
becoming;  but  I  do  not  think  that  this  custom  is  gen- 
eral: perhaps  it  had  some  connection  with  the  sacrifice. 

After  a  march  of  eight  hours  we  reached  the  first  cluster  of 
huts  of  the  Northern  ]\Iolglioj,  where  we  wished  to  find  quar- 
ters ;  but  the  unfortunate  people,  by  the  recent  exactions  and 
contributions  levied  on  them  by  theKanuri,  were  driven  to  a  state 
of  despair,  and  obstinately  refused  to  receive  us.  There  re- 
mained, therefore,  no  alternative  but  to  continue  our  m.arch,  and 
to  try  to  reach  Yerimari ;  but  the  effort  was  too  much  for  me, 
and  had  the  worst  consequences  in  my  reduced  state  of  health. 
I  was  for  some  time  quite  senseless,  when,  after  a  ride  of  thir- 
teen hours,  I  succeeded  in  reaching  the  well-known  place,  and 
threw  myself  flat  upon  the  ground  of  my  little  hut.  Scarcely 
had  my  luggage  arrived,  when  a  storm,  which  the  whole  after- 
noon had  been  hanging  over  our  heads,  broke  forth,  and  contin- 
ued till  midnight  with  unabated  violence. 

Man  as  well  as  beast  was  so  exhausted  that  we  remained 
here  the  following  day,  when  I  felt  strength  enough  to  walk  out 
a  little  into  the  fields.  There  w^as  an  extraordinary  difference 
between  the  advanced  state  in  which  I  had  left  the  crops  in 
A^damawa  and  that  in  whicli  I  found  them  here.  The  reader 
will  remember  that  the  fields  round  this  place  w^ere  just  being 
sown  on  the  day  of  my  leaving  it ;  and  during  the  time  of  my 
absence  rain  must  have  been  rather  scanty,  so  that  the  crops 
were  scarcely  twenty  inches  above  the  ground.  In  the  after- 
noon, Billama,  who  was  always  obliging,  gave  me  some  informa- 
tion with  regard  to  the  adjacent  country,  which  I  shall  here  in- 
sert as  a  note,*  though  it  is  not  so  clear  as  might  be  desired. 

*  About  eight  miles  S.W.  from  this  is  a  place  called  Bala,  originally  belonging 
to  the  Marghi,  but  at  present  inhabited  by  Kaniiri  people.  Toward  the  east,  at 
no  great  distance,  is  the  town  of  U'zo,  belonging  to  that  division  of  the  Gamer- 
ghu  whose  chief  resides  in  Degimba  ;  E.N.E.,  at  the  distance  of  two  days,  is  the 
walled  town  of  Gawa,  the  residence  of  the  greater  chief.  A  little  N.  of  E.,  about 
fifteen  miles,  isU'rka  orWurka.  A'laba,  one  short  day's  march,  about  ten  miles, 
S.E.  from  U'rka,  is  the  easternmost  town  of  the  Gamcrghu,  whose  territory,  how- 


UJE'  ICASU'KULA'.— GU'LFO. 


219 


Monday^  July  14tL  We  continued  our  march,  and,  with  a 
halt  during  the  hot  hours,  reached  Uje  Kasukula  in  the  even- 
ing. TJie  aspect  of  the  country  offered  unmistakable  proof  of 
our  advance  northward.  Even  the  grass  here  was  barely  an 
inch  or  two  above  the  ground  ;  the  crops,  where  most  advanced, 
were  ten  or  twelve  inches  high,  while  other  fields  were  still  cov- 
ered with  the  tunfafia,  or  Asclepias  gigantea^  a  sure  proof  that 
they  had  not  been  brought  under  cultivation.  We  passed  a 
good  many  cotton-fields.  I  reached  the  place  in  a  state  of  the 
utmost  exhaustion,  and  was  obliged  to  stay  here  three  days  to 
recruit  my  strength,  taking  hardly  any  food  but  quinine,  and 
placing  a  plaster  of  cantliarides  on  my  chest.  The  governor  of 
the  place,  Kashella  'All  Alawo,  treated  my  party  very  hospita- 
bly and  kindly,  and  showed  sincere  compassion  for  my  feeble 
condition.  I  learned  from  him,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  that 
Mr.  Overweg  had  really  embarked  in  the  boat  on  the  Tsad,  and 
was  gone  to  the  Budduma. 

Friday^  July  V^th.  At  length  we  set  out  again  ;  but,  though 
I  felt  a  little  better,  I  was  glad  when,  after  a  short  march  of 
three  hours  through  a  very  pleasant  and  populous  country,  we 
took  up  our  quarters  in  a  place  called  Gulfo,  a  great  proportion 
of  the  inhabitants  of  which  are  Shuwa.  Having  passed  the  hot 
hours  in  a  spacious  and  cool  hut,  I  enjoyed  for  a  while  the 
freshness  of  the  evening  outside  in  my  court-yard,  delighted  at 
the  same  time  by  the  sight  of  the  herds  of  cattle  returning  from 
their  pastures.  Shortly  before  we  reached  Gulfo  we  had  passed 
a  village  entirely  inhabited  by  Shuwa,  and  even  called  Shuwa- 
ram. 

Though  we  had  now  reached  the  monotonous  alluvial  plains 

ever,  extends  in  this  direction  as  far  as  Mount  Di'sa.  In  the  immediate  neigli- 
borhood  of  A'laba  is  the  small  town  of  Segagiyu.  Eastward  from  Di'sa  is  Mount 
Ki'rja,  and  east  from  this  is  Mount  U'la  or  Wiila ;  one  day  beyond  Wiila  is  the 
conspicuous  Mount  Deladeba.  One  short  day  to  the  N.  of  Deladeba  is  Mount 
Welle,  at  the  northern  foot  of  which  lies  the  large  walled  })lace  of  the  name  of 
Karawa,  the  former  capital  of  Wandala,  already  mentioned,  as  we  shall  see,  by 
the  historian  of  the  Bornu  king,  Edns  Alawoma,  with  two  gates.  To  the  N.  of 
Karawa,  and  about  six  miles  S.  of  Delhe,  is  Ajemmaja,  or,  as  it  is  called  by 
others,  Ilaj  A'maka,  a  place  inhabited  by  Shiiwa,  or  native  Arabs,  who  occupy  all 
the  country  as  far  as  Dlkowa. 


220 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


of  Bornu  Proper,  yet  the  following  clay's  march  in  the  company 
of  my  friend  Billama,  who,  after  we  had  become  better  ac- 
quainted, was  anxious  to  gratify  my  desire  for  information  in 
every  respect,  was  highly  interesting.  Although  the  vegetation 
was  very  poor  in  comparison  with  that  of  the  more  southern  dis- 
tricts, yet  there  was  plenty  of  underwood,  and  we  observed  the 
small  bush  called  "kumkum,"  the  berries  of  which  taste  very  like 
coffee,  and  which,  in  reality,  may  be  a  kind  of  Coffea,  On  our 
right  we  left  a  path  leading  by  Yamake,  Tangallanda,  and  Kir- 
baje,  to  Kabe-Ngawa,  a  place  famous  on  account  of  its  neigh- 
borhood affording  the  "  fogo" — wood  from  which  the  shields 
(ngawa)  of  the  Kanembu  are  made  :  it  lies  on  the  road  to  Diko- 
wa,  passing  by  a  place  called  A^jowa.  The  spears  of  the  na- 
tives (kasekka)  are  made  from  the  root  of  the  kindil  or  talha, 
but  the  javelin  (bellam)  from  that  of  the  kurna ;  the  shafts  of 
arrows  are  made  from  the  "  kabilla"-bush,  wdiich  hereabouts 
grows  in  great  abundance.  Cultivated  and  pasture-ground  al- 
ternately succeeded  each  other,  and  I  was  astonished  to  see  that 
the  produce  of  this  district  was  exclusively  argum  moro,  or 
Pennisetum^  wdiile  ngaberi,  or  IIolcus  sorghum^  is  a  much  more 
general  grain  in  Bornu,  with  the  exception  of  the  country  of  the 
Koyam.  A  little  before  eleven  o'clock  we  finished  our  day's 
march  in  a  small  village  called  Munghono-Mabe,  where  I  took 
possession  of  a  large  hut  constructed  in  the  peculiar  style  of 
the  Shuwa,  the  roof  being  of  an  oval  shape,  without  the  charac- 
teristic top  or  head,  the  ''kogi  ngimbe,"  and  supported  by  a 
pole,  "  dungulis,"  in  the  middle  of  the  hut,  while  the  thatch 
is  made  in  a  very  irregular  and  hasty  manner,  the  compactness 
of  wicker-work  being  insufficiently  supplied  by  a  heap  of  reeds 
thrown  upon  the  roof  and  fastened  with  ropes. 

Sunday^  July  20th.  I  felt  much  better,  and,  after  a  beautiful 
moonlight  night,  w^e  started  earlier  than  usual,  "  dunia  kete." 
The  morning  was  very  fine,  but  the  sun  soon  became  rather  pow- 
erful and  troublesome.  We  passed  a  considerable  pool  of  stag- 
nant water  surrounded  by  fine  trees,  tamarinds  and  sycamores, 
such  as  in  this  district,  where  stunted  mimosas  form  the  pre- 
dominant feature  of  the  vegetation,  are  only  seen  in  very  favored 


PLAINS  OF  BO'RNU  PROPER. 


221 


spots  ;  it  is  called  "  kulugu  Hamtigu."  On  the  path  itself  also, 
deeply  cut  as  it  was  in  the  sandy  soil,  there  was  a  good  deal 
of  water.  We  passed  the  site  of  a  large  town  named  Dongo, 
which  had  been  destroyed  by  the  Fulbe  or  Fellata  some  forty 
years  ago,  but  of  which  the  circumference  of  the  wall  was  still 
visible,  the  gate  being  marked  by  a  colossal  monkey-bread-tree 
or  Adansonia,  the  constant  follower  of  human  society,  spread- 
ing its  gigantic  branches  out  like  an  immense  candelabrum. 
Billama  brought  me  the  berries  of  a  bush  called  "bulte,"  the 
taste  of  which  was  very  much  like  currants ;  and  farther  on  he 
presented  me  with  a  "  fito,"  a  red  fruit  looking  exactly  like  red 
pepper,  with  numbers  of  small  kernels,  and  of  a  somewhat  acid- 
ulous taste. 

"VYe  rested  a  little  more  than  three  hours,  during  the  heat  of 
the  day,  near  a  pond  of  stagnant  water,  in  a  district  rich  in  pas- 
tures, where,  among  numerous  herds  of  the  Shuwa,  the  cattle 
of  Haj  Beshir  were  also  grazing.  But  the  ground  hereabouts 
seemed  to  be  nothing  but  one  continuous  world  of  ants,  which 
did  not  allow  us  a  moment's  undisturbed  repose,  and  even  dur- 
ing our  short  stay  they  made  several  successful  attacks,  not 
only  upon  part  of  our  luggage,  but  even  of  my  dress. 

When  we  set  out  again,  at  an  early  hour  in  the  afternoon, 
numerous  pools  of  water  along  the  road  testified  to  the  presence 
of  the  rainy  season,  and  the  village  Maska,  which  we  passed 
soon  afterward,  was  surrounded  by  corn  and  cotton-fields,  as 
well  as  by  rich  green  pasture-grounds.  The  path  was  well  fre- 
quented. We  met  first  a  horseman  of  the  sheikh  sent  as  a  mes- 
senger to  Uje,  with  the  order  to  call  in  the  numerous  horse 
of  that  district ;  and  Billama  was  of  opinion  that  his  master 
had  thoughts  of  arranging  the  affairs  of  Khadeja.  Fartlier  on 
we  met  a  troop  of  Shuwa  women,  who,  in  a  mournful  song,  la- 
mented tlie  death  of  one  of  their  companions.  They  passed  us 
too  rapidly  to  allow  the  words  of  their  song  to  be  distinctly 
heard. 

The  country  on  our  left  and  that  on  our  right  showed  a  re- 
markable contrast ;  for  while,  on  our  left,  corn-fields,  fine  pas- 
ture-grounds, and  villages  succeeded  each  other,  on  the  right, 


222 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


an  immense  ghadir,  or  firki,  still  dry,  and  only  sparingly  cov- 
ered here  and  there  with  a  little  coarse  herbage,  stretched  out 
to  an  immeasurable  distance.  At  an  early  hour  in  the  after- 
noon, deviating  a  little  from  the  path,  we  turned  into  the  village 
of  Kaliluwa  Gremari,  which  belongs  to  'Abd  e'  Rahman,  the 
second  brother  of  Sheikh  'Omar,  and  found  the  male  inhabit- 
ants of  the  village  sitting  in  the  shade  of  a  chedia  or  caout- 
chouc-tree, busily  employed  in  making  wicker-work.  However, 
they  proved  too  clearly  that  we  had  entered  the  inhospitable 
zone  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  capital ;  observing,  with  great 
coolness,  that  the  sun  was  as  yet  high,  and  would  enable  us 
still  to  make  a  good  march  to  some  other  place,  they  would 
hear  nothing  of  our  quartering  in  their  village.  But  Billama 
was  not  the  man  to  be  laughed  at ;  and,  riding  through  the 
midst  of  them,  he  took  possession  for  me  of  one  of  the  best  huts. 
I  could  not,  in  truth,  approve  of  this  despotical  mode  of  dealing ; 
but  I  was  too  weak  to  run  the  risk  of  spending  a  night  in  my 
tent  on  the  damp  ground.  The  villagers  seemed  to  be  drained 
to  the  utmost  by  their  gracious  lord,  and  did  not  possess  a  sin- 
gle cow ;  even  fowls  were  scarcely  to  be  seen. 

In  the  evening  I  was  greatly  amused  at  first  by  the  noisy 
hum  of  a  makaranchi,"  or  school,  close  to  my  hut,  where, 
round  a  large  fire,  some  six  or  seven  boys  w^ere  repeating,  at 
the  highest  pitch  of  their  voices,  and  with  utter  disregard  of  the 
sense,  a  few  verses  of  the  Kuran,  wliich  in  the  daytime  they 
had  been  taught  to  read  by  their  master,  who  doubtless  un- 
derstood them  as  little  as  the  boys  themselves  ;  but  by  degrees 
the  noise  became  almost  insupportable.  It  is  generally  thought 
in  Europe  that  a  school-boy  is  too  much  tormented ;  but  these 
poor  African  boys,  for  the  little  they  learn,  are  worried  still 
more — at  least,  I  have  often  found  them  in  the  cold  season,  and 
with  scarcely  a  rag  of  a  shirt  on,  sitting  round  a  miserable  fire 
as  early  as  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  learning  their  lessons. 
Besides,  they  have  to  perform  all  sorts  of  menial  service  for  the 
master,  and  are  often  treated  no  better  than  slaves. 

Monday^  July  IXst.  The  country  which  we  passed  in  the 
morning  presented  more  pasture-grounds  than  cultivated  lands, 


A  WANDERING  TRIBE. 


223 


and  after  a  little  Avliile  I  turned,  with  my  companion,  out  of 
our  path,  to  the  left,  toward  a  small  encampment  or  "  beri  Shu- 
wabe"  of  the  Kohalemi,  a  Shuwa  or  Arab  tribe,  where,  for  three 
large  beads,  called  "  nejum,"  we  bought  a  little  fresh  milk.  On 
this  occasion  I  learned  from  Billama  that  the  Shuwa  or  native 
Arabs  settled  in  the  district  of  Uje  belong  to  the  tribe  of  the 
Saraji,  while  the  Sugula  and  the  Salamat  have  their  camping- 
fT;rounds  farther  east. 

o 

The  country  became  rather  dreary,  black  "  firki"-ground  and 
sandy  soil  alternately  succeeding  each  other ;  and  traffic  there 
was  none.  But  when  we  reached  the  well  of  ^laira,  a  consid- 
erable place  which  we  passed  on  our  left  hand,  the  path  became 
animated  from  an  interesting  cause,  a  whole  viDage  or  "berf 
of  wandering  Arabs  passing  through  in  search  of  fresh  pasture- 
grounds  to  the  west.  Each  mistress  of  a  family  was  sitting  on 
the  top  of  her  best  household  furniture,  which  was  carefully 
packed  on  the  backs  of  the  cattle  and  covered  with  hides,  while 
a  female  slave  followed  her,  sitting  astride  on  the  less  valuable 
gear  and  the  poles,  with  pots  and  other  such  utensils ;  but  dis- 
tinguished above  all  by  the  harness  of  her  bullock,  the  neat  ar- 
rangement of  her  seat,  a  leather  tent-like  covering  over  her  head, 
and  the  stoutness  of  her  own  person,  sat  the  wife  of  the  chief. 
Most  of  these  women,  however,  were  rather  slender  than  other- 
wise, testifying  to  the  sound  and  well-preserved  national  taste 
of  these  Arabs.  They  never  veil  the  face,  and  their  dress  is 
simple  and  decent ;  but  they  are  not  nearly  so  tidy  as  the  Ful- 
fulde  ladies.  Most  of  the  men  followed  at  a  great  distance  with 
the  flocks  of  goats  and  sheep. 

When  this  interesting  procession  had  passed  by,  the  monot- 
ony of  the  country  was  more  intensely  felt.  The  proud  Kanuri 
of  the  towns  mock  the  inhabitants  of  these  districts,  who  have 
nothing  but  a  few  cattle  and  goats,  with  the  verse,  "  Semma 
billani — beri  kam"  ("  This  is  the  whole  of  my  town — cattle  and 
goats  ;"  or,  in  other  words,  "The  town  and  moat,  two  cows  and 
a  goat").  The  poor  stunted  mimosas  had  been  cut  down  in 
many  places,  in  order  that,  the  whole  tract  being  changed  into 
a  quagmire  or  swamp,  it  might  be  sown  with  the  peculiar  kind 


224 


TRAVELS  IN  APRICA. 


of  Iiolcus  called  "  masakwa''  {IIolcus  ceniuus) ;  and  then  these 
black,  dismal-looking  plains  become  one  field  of  life  and  wealth. 
This  remarkable  change  in  the  aspect  of  the  country,  and  this 
second  harvest,  which  takes  place  in  the  middle  of  the  cold  sea- 
son, and  by  which  the  firki  or  firgi  becomes  a  firgi  mosogabe 
(masakwabe),  I  shall  have  to  describe  in  another  place. 

We  then  entered  a  well  cultivated  and  thickly  inhabited  dis- 
trict called  Yele,  where  it  was  a  novelty  to  be  obliged  to  draw 
water  from  the  well  or  barrem  Yele ;  for,  since  reaching  Uje  on 
our  journey  out,  we  had  constantly  met  water-pools  or  small 
rivulets,  from  which  we  took  our  supply,  and  even  the  well  at 
Maira  was  rendered  quite  superfluous  by  a  large  tank  close  by. 
However,  I  have  already  had  occasion  to  observe  that  the  wa- 
ter from  these  stagnant  pools  is  any  thing  but  wholesome,  par- 
ticularly after  the  rainy  season,  when  they  receive  no  further 
supply ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  drinking  of  such  water 
is  the  principal,  if  not  the  only  cause  of  that  dreadful  and  wide- 
spread disease  (the  "  farantit"  or  " 'arug" — "ngiduwi"  in  Ka- 
nuri — "the  misery")  which  disables  the  working-man, and  makes 
him  a  poor  wretched  being — the  Guinea-worm,  which  is  sure  to 
be  met  with  in  at  least  one  out  of  three  persons  who  travel  a 
great  deal,  through  the  whole  of  Central  Africa.  I  never  met 
with  an  instance  of  this  disease  in  a  woman.  It  seemed  to  me, 
too,  as  if  the  pagans,  whose  nakedness  exposed  all  their  limbs 
to  view,  suffered  less  from  it. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  superfluous  supply  of  water  in  the 
district  through  which  our  road  then  lay,  which  appeared  as  dry 
as  I  had  left  it,  only  thinly  scattered  and  lonely  blades  of  grass 
shooting  up  here  and  there ;  but  yet  there  was  a  favored  spot 
where  the  road  from  Marte  to  Alarge  crossed  our  path,  adorned 
with  fine,  wide-spreading  tamarind-trees,  and  rain-clouds  were 
approaching  from  the  east  to  fertilize  the  soil,  and  make  it  ca- 
pable of  production.  We  therefore  hurried  on,  and  took  shel- 
ter in  the  village  M'allem-Shishi,  in  order  to  let  the  storm  pass 
over;  our  hut,  however,  was  so  incapable  of  resisting  heavy 
rain,  that  as  soon  as  the  storm  broke  out  we  were  almost 
swamped.    The  carelessness  with  which  the  houses  of  the  na- 


KIRYU'MMUWA. 


225 


tives  are  built  in  this  region  is  an  unmistakable  evidence  of  the 
difference  of  the  climate ;  on  the  other  side,  we  have  seen  the 
neat  huts  of  the  people  of  Fumbina,  and  we  shall  see  those  of 
the  despised  pagan  natives  of  Musgu.  The  people  assured  me 
that  this  was  the  first  regular  rain  which  they  had  had  this 
year,  the  first  preparatory  shower  having  fallen  thirty  days  ago, 
and  the  second  two  days  ago. 

The  clouds  having  taken  a  southerly  direction,  we  started 
forth  in  the  afternoon,  after  some  hesitation,  but  had  scarcely 
been  an  hour  on  the  march,  and  were  just  in  the  middle  of  a 
wide,  dismal-looking  ghadir  or  f  irki,  when  the  clouds,  having 
gathered  again  over  our  heads,  poured  down  violent  torrents  of 
rain,  so  that  in  a  few  moments  the  whole  country  looked  like  a 
lake,  and  our  progress  was  excessively  difficult.  At  length,  after 
an  hour  and  a  half,  in  the  most  uncomfortable  state,  we  reached 
the  village  Kiryummuwa,  where  I  was  quartered  in  a  rather  mag- 
nificent but  as  yet  unfinished  hut  of  clay,  and  endeavored  to 
dry  my  wet  clothes  as  well  as  I  could. 

We  were  now  only  one  day's  march  from  Kukawa,  and  we 
started  early  the  next  morning,  in  order  to  reach  home  before 
night.  The  neighborhood  of  the  capital  had  been  sufficiently 
indicated  already  during  the  last  day's  march  by  the  dum-busli- 
es,  which,  with  the  melancholy  Asclepias  gigantea,  might  well 
decorate  the  scutcheon  of  Kukawa — with  more  justice,  indeed, 
than  the  kuka,  or  monkey-bread-tree,  from  which  the  name  was 
taken,  but  of  which  but  a  few  poor  stunted  specimens  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  court-yard  of  the  palace  in  the  eastern  town. 

We  had  scarcely  gone  a  mile  when  we  met  the  first  body  of 
Shuwa,  men  and  women,  who  were  returning  with  their  -un- 
loaded pack-oxen  from  the  great  Monday  market  of  the  capital, 
and  then  the  string  of  market-people  on  their  way  to  their  re- 
spective homes  was  almost  uninterrupted.  While  our  people 
followed  the  road,  Billama  and  I  turned  off  a  little  to  the  left, 
in  order  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  mayor  of  ]\Iunghono  and  obtain  a 
cool  drink ;  for,  since  I  had  had  the  fever,  I  suffered  greatly 
from  thirst,  and  the  water  from  the  wells  in  general,  as  preserv- 
ing a  mean  temperature  of  about  80  degrees,  was  quite  tepid. 

Vol.  IL— P 


226 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


The  phice  lies  in  an  elevated  position,  and  on  its  south  side 
there  is  a  hollow,  where  wheat  and  onions  are  cultivated  after 
the  rainy  season,  while  another  cavity  surrounding  it  on  the 
north  and  east  sides,  and  where  at  present  only  small  sej)arate 
water-pools  are  collecting,  forms,  later  in  the  season,  one  con- 
tinuous lake.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  ironstone,  "  kau  siiwa," 
hereabouts  ;  and  it  is  used  by  the  native  blacksmiths,  though  it 
affords  but  an  inferior  sort  of  metfil,  far  inferior  to  the  excellent 
iron,  the  "su-bultu,"  of  Bubanjidda.  While  passing  through 
the  place,  I  was  greatly  struck  with  the  variety  which  the  roofs 
of  the  huts  exhibited,  and  made  a  slight  sketch  of  them. 


Munghono,  which  is  likewise  the  name  of  the  whole  district, 
has  been  a  place  of  importance  from  early  times,  and  is  often 
mentioned  in  the  history  of  the  Bornu  kings.  After  the  rich- 
ness of  natural  forms  which  I  had  beheld  in  A'damawa,  the 
country  seemed  extremely  monotonous,  there  being  nothing 
whatever  to  cheer  the  eye  except  the  blossom  of  the  mimosas, 
which  spread  a  sweet  scent  all  around.  We  encamped  during 
the  hot  hours  of  the  day  near  the  well  of  Kaine,  where  we  had 
great  difficulty  in  supplying  ourselves  with  water  from  the  well, 
while  a  little  later  in  the  season  a  large  lake  is  formed  here; 
for  Africa  is  the  region  of  contrasts  as  well  in  nature  as  in  hu- 
man life. 

When  we  set  out  again  from  this  place,  people  from  the  town, 
who  had  been  informed  of  our  approach,  came  to  meet  us ;  and 
I  heard,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  that  the  crafty  Arab  Moham- 
med el  Mugharbi,  whom  I  had  already  met  in  Gummel,  had  at 
length  arrived  with  the  merchandise  confided  to  his  care,  the 
nominal  value  of  which  was  £100  sterling,  so  that  there  was  at 
least  some  hope  of  being  able  to  carry  on  the  mission  on  a  small 
scale. 

But  I  could  not  but  feel  pleased  with  my  reception  on  return- 
ing to  head-quarters  in  this  part  of  the  world  ;  for  when  we  ap 


RETURN  TO  KU'KAWA. 


227 


proached  the  southern  gate  of  the  town,  three  horsemen,  who 
were  stationed  tliere,  came  galloping  up  to  me,  and  having  sa- 
luted me  with  their  spears  raised,  placed  themselves  in  front, 
and  in  stately  procession  led  me  through  the  town  to  my  house, 
where  I  was  soon  regaled  with  a  plentiful  supper  sent  by  the 
vizier.  I  afterward  perceived  that  he  had  expected  me  to  pay 
him  my  respects  the  same  evening ;  but,  as  I  felt  very  weak,  I 
deferred  the  visit  till  the  next  morning,  when,  on  his  return 
from  an  early  visit  to  the  sheikh,  he  gave  me  an  audience  in  the 
presence  of  all  the  people.  Having  expressed  his  sorrow  at 
my  reduced  state,  and  having  inquired  how  I  had  been  received 
in  A^damawa,  he  entered,  with  apparent  delight,  into  a  long  con- 
versation with  me  respecting  the  form  'of  the  earth  and  the  whole 
system  of  the  world.  On  being  asked  what  I  now  intended  to 
do,  I  replied  that  it  was  my  design,  after  having  made  the  tour 
of  the  lake,  to  try  to  penetrate  into  the  regions  south  of  Bagir- 
mi.  He  immediately  expressed  his  doubts  as  to  the  possibility 
of  going  round  the  lake  as  far  as  the  Bahar  el  Ghazal,  but 
promised  to  further  my  plans  as  far  as  possible,  although  he 
thought  that  I  had  done  enough  already,  and  should  rather 
think  of  returning  home  safely  with  the  results  of  my  labors  ; 
for,  seeing  me  so  weak  during  the  first  rainy  season  which  I 
was  spending  in  these  regions,  he  was  afraid  that  sometliing 
might  happen  to  me. 

Well  satisfied  with  this  audience,  I  returned  to  my  quarters 
and  wrote  a  short  report  to  H.  M.'s  government  of  the  results 
of  my  journey,  informing  them  that  my  most  deeply-cherished 
hopes  with  regard  to  that  river  in  the  south  had  been  surpass- 
ed, and  requesting  them  to  send  an  expedition  in  order  to  veri- 
fy its  identity  with  tlie  so-called  Chadda.  This  report,  which 
was  sent  off  by  a  courier  a  day  or  two  before  Mr.  Overweg's  re- 
turn from  his  navigation  of  the  lake,  and  which  was  overtaken 
by  a  messenger  with  a  short  account  of  his  survey,  created  gen- 
eral satisfaction  in  Europe,  and  procured  for  me  the  confidence 
of  H.  M.'s  government.  ]\Ieanwhile  I  endeavored  to  arrange 
the  pecuniary  affairs  of  the  mission  as  well  as  I  could. 


228 


TRAVELS  m  AERICA. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

EAINY  SEASON  IN  KU^KAWA. 

I  HAD  left  Kukawa  on  my  journey  to  A^damawa  in  the  best 
state  of  liealtli,  but  had  brought  back  from  that  excursion  the 
germs  of  disease  ;  and  residence  in  the  town,  at  least  at  this  pe- 
riod of  the  year,  was  not  likely  to  improve  my  condition.  It 
would  certainly  have  been  better  for  me  had  I  been  able  to  re- 
tire to  some  more  healthy  spot ;  but  trivial,  though  urgent  busi- 
ness, obliged  me  to  remain  in  Kukawa. 

It  was  necessary  to  sell  the  merchandise  which  had  at 
length  arrived  in  order  to  keep  the  mission  in  some  way  or 
other  afloat,  by  paying  the  most  urgent  debts  and  providing  the 
necessary  means  for  further  exploration.  There  was  merchan- 
dise to  the  value  of  one  hundred  pounds  sterling  ;  but,  as  I  was 
obliged  to  sell  the  tilings  at  a  reduced  rate  for  ready  money,  the 
loss  was  considerable ;  for  all  business  in  these  countries  is 
transacted  on  two  or  three  months'  credit,  and,  after  all,  payment 
is  made,  not  in  ready  money,  but  chiefly  in  slaves.  It  is,  no 
doubt,  very  necessary  for  a  traveler  to  be  provided  with  those 
various  articles  which  form  the  presents  to  be  made  to  the  chiefs, 
and  which  are  in  many  districts  required  for  bartering ;  but  he 
ought  not  to  depend  upon  their  sale  for  the  supply  of  his  wants. 
Altogether  it  is  diflicult  to  carry  on  trade  in  conjunction  with 
extensive  geographical  research,  although  a  person  sitting  qui- 
etly down  in  a  place,  and  entering  into  close  relations  with  the 
natives,  might  collect  a  great  deal  of  interesting  information, 
which  would  probably  escape  the  notice  of  the  roving  traveler, 
whose  purpose  is  rather  to  explore  distant  regions.  Besides,  I 
was  obliged  to  make  numerous  presents  to  my  friends,  in  order 
to  keep  them  in  good  humor,  and  had  very  often  not  only  to 
provide  dresses  for  themselves  and  their  wives,  but  even  for  their 
domestic  retainers  ;  so  that,  all  things  considered,  the  supply  of 


HERBAGE.— TROPICAL  RAINS. 


229 


one'  hundred  pounds'  worth  of  merchandise  could  not  last  very 
long. 

I  have  remarked  that,  when  I  re-entered  Kukawa,  the  culti- 
vation of  the  ground  had  not  yet  begun ;  indeed,  the  whole 
country  was  so  parched  that  it  became  a  matter  of  perplexity 
to  find  sufficient  fodder  for  the  horses ;  for  the  whole  stock  of 
dry  herbage  was  consumed,  and  of  young  herbage  none  was  to 
be  had. 

It  is  stated  in  my  memoranda  that  on  the  5th  of  August  I 
paid  twelve  rotl  for  a  "kela  kajimbe,"  or  large  bundle  of  dry 
grass  ;  an  enormous  price  in  this  country,  and  sufficient  to  main- 
tain a  whole  family  for  several  days  ;  but  that  was  the  most  un- 
favorable moment,  for  in  a  few  days  fresh  herbage  sprang  up 
and  made  good  all  deficiencies.  While  speaking  on  this  sub- 
ject, I  may  also  mention  that,  the  herbage  of  Kukawa  being 
full  of  "  ngibbi,"  or  Pennisetiim  disticJium^  horses  brought  from 
other  countries  generally  fare  but  badly  on  it,  as  they  are  reluc- 
tant to  fill  their  mouths  with  its  small  prickles. 

Eain  was  very  plentiful  this  year,  1851,  and  I  am  sure  would, 
if  measured,  have  far  exceeded  the  quantity  found  by  Mr.  Vo- 
gel  in  1854.  Indeed,  there  were  twelve  very  considerable  falls 
of  rain  during  the  month  of  August  alone,  which  together 
probably  exceeded  thirty  inches.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind, 
moreover,  that  the  fall  of  rain  in  Kukawa  does  not  constitute 
the  rule  for  the  region,  but  is  quite  exceptional,  owing  to  the 
entire  absence  of  trees  and  of  heights  in  the  neighborhood. 
Hence  the  statement  of  !Mr.  Vogel  in  one  of  his  letters,*  that  the 
line  of  tropical  rains  only  begins  south  of  Kukawa,  must  be  un- 
derstood with  some  reserve ;  for,  if  he  had  measured  the  rain 
in  the  woody  country  north  of  that  capital,  between  Dawerghu 
and  Kaliluwa,  he  would,  in  my  opinion,  have  obtained  a  very 
different  result.  It  is  evident  that  all  depends  upon  the  mean- 
ing of  the  expression  tropical  rain.  If  it  imply  a  very  copious 
fall  of  rain,  Kukawa  certainly  does  not  lie  within  the  limits  of 
tropical  rain ;  but  if  we  are  to  understand  by  it  the  regularly- 
returning  annual  fall  of  rain,  produced  by  the  ascending  cur- 
*  Published  in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Geogr.  Sec,  vol.  xxv.,  1855,  p.  241. 


230 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


)  cnts  of  heated  air,  it  certainly  does.*  There  was  a  very  heavy 
fall  of  rain  on  the  night  of  the  3d  of  August,  which  not  only 
swamped  our  court-yard,  but  changed  my  room,  which  lay  half 
a  foot  lower,  and  was  protected  only  by  a  low  threshold,  into  a 
little  lake,  aggravating  my  feverish  state  very  considerably,  and 
spoiling  most  of  my  things. 

On  the  5th  of  August  rain  fell  for  the  first  time  unaccompa- 
nied by  a  storm,  though  the  rainy  season  generally  sets  in  witli 
dreadful  tornadoes.  The  watery  element  disturbed  the  luxuri- 
ous existence  of  the  "kanam  galgalma,"  the  large  termites, 
which  had  fed  on  our  sugar  and  other  supplies,  and  on  the  6th 
they  all  of  a  sudden  disappeared  from  the  ground,  and  filled  the 
air  as  short-lived  winged  creatures,  in  which  state  they  are  call- 
ed by  the  people  "  tsutsu"  or  "  dsudsu,"  .and,  when  fried,  are 
used  as  food.  Their  tenure  of  life  is  so  precarious,  and  they 
seem  to  be  so  weak,  that  they  become  very  troublesome,  as  they 
fall  in  every  direction  upon  man  and  his  food.  Of  each  swarm 
of  these  insects  only  one  couple  seems  destined  to  survive ;  all 
the  rest  die  a  violent  death. 

The  town  now  began  to  present  quite  a  different  appearance ; 
but  while  it  was  agreeable  to  see  the  dryness  relieved",  and  suc- 
culent grass  and  fresh  crops  springing  up  all  around,  and  sup- 
planting the  dull  uniformity  of  the  Asclepias  gigantea,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  extensive  water-pools  formed  everywhere  in  the 
concavities  of  the  ground  were  by  no  means  conducive  to  healtli, 
more  especially  as  those  places  were  depositories  of  all  sorts  of 
offal,  and  of  putrefying  carcasses  of  many  kinds.  The  conse- 
quence was  that  my  health,  instead  of  improving,  became  worse, 
although  I  struggled  hard,  and  as  often  as  possible  rode  out  on 
horseback.  All  the  people  were  now  busy  in  the  labors  of  the 
field,  although  cultivation  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  town  is  not 
of  a  uniform,  but  of  a  varied  character ;  and  a  large  portion  of 

*  It  will  perhaps  be  as  well  to  call  to  mind  the  prudent  warnings  of  Colonel 
Sykes  in  reference  to  the  observations  of  Professor  Dove.  "  These  observations," 
lie  says,  "suggest  the  necessity  of  caution  in  generalizing  from  local  facts  with 
regard  to  temperature  and  falls  of  rain." — Report  of  the  National  Association^ 
3852,  p.  253. 


AGRICULTURE. 


231 


the  ground,  consisting  of  "ange"  and  "  firld,"  is  reserved  for 
the  culture  of  the  masakuwa  {IIolcus  cernuus),  or  winter-corn, 
with  its  variety  the  keriram. 

On  the  8th  of  August  the  neighborhood  presented  a  very  an- 
imated spectacle,  the  crown  lands  in  Gawange  being  then  culti- 
vated by  a  great  number  of  people,  working  to  the  sound  of  a 
drum.  Their  labors  continued  till  the  15th,  on  which  day  ]\Ir. 
Overweg  had  the  honor  of  presenting  his  Budduma  friends  to 
the  Sheikh  of  Bornu.  All  nature  was  now  cheerful ;  the  trees 
were  putting  forth  fresh  leaves,  and  the  young  birds  began  to 
fledge.  I  took  great  delight  in  observing  the  little  household 
of  a  family  of  the  feathered  tribe ;  there  were  five  young  ones, 
the  oldest  and  most  daring  of  which  began  to  try  his  strength 
on  the  12th  of  August,  while  the  other  four  set  out  together  on 
the  14th. 

Marriages  are  not  frequent  about  this  time,  on  account  of  the 
dearness  of  corn ;  but  matches  are  generally  made  after  the  har- 
vest has  been  got  in,  and  while  corn  is  cheap.  I  shall  speak  in 
another  place  of  the  marriage  ceremonies  of  this  country. 

On  the  5th  of  September  we  obtained  the  first  specimen  of 
new  "  argum  moro,"  white  Xegro  millet,  which  is  very  pleasant 
to  the  taste  when  roasted  on  the  fire ;  but  this  is  regarded  as  a 
rarity,  and  new  corn  is  not  brought  into  the  market  in  any  great 
quantities  before  the  end  of  November,  or  rather  the  beginning 
of  December,  when  all  the  corn,  which  has  been  for  a  long  time 
lying  in  the  fields  in  conical  heaps,  called  "  bugga,"  is  threshed 
out. 

My  friend  the  vizier,  whose  solicitude  for  my  health  I  can 
not  acknowledge  too  warmly,  was  very  anxious  that  I  should 
not  stay  in  the  town  during  the  rainy  season ;  and  knowing 
that  one  of  our  principal  objects  was  to  investigate  the  eastern 
shore  of  Lake  Tsad,  sent  me  word,  on  the  11th  of  August,  that 
I  might  now  view  the  bahar  el  ghazal,  an  undertaking  which, 
as  I  have  already  mentioned,  he  had  at  first  represented  as  im- 
possible. The  news  from  Kanem,  however,  was  now  favorable ; 
but,  as  I  shall  speak  in  another  place  of  the  political  state  of 
this  distracted  country,  and  of  the  continual  struggle  between 


232 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Bornu  and  Waday,  I  need  only  mention  here  that  the  Welad 
Sliman,  who  had  become  a  mercenary  band  attached  to  the  viz- 
ier, had  been  successful  during  their  last  expedition,  and  were 
reported  on  the  very  day  of  my  return  from  A^daraawa  to  have 
made  a  prize  of  150  horses  and  a  great  many  camels,  which, 
however,  was  a  great  exaggeration. 

We  were  well  acquainted  with  the  character  of  these  people, 
who  are  certainly  the  most  lawless  robbers  in  the  world  ;  but  as 
it  was  the  express  wish  of  the  British  government  that  we 
should  endeavor  to  explore  the  regions  bordering  on  the  lake, 
there  was  no  course  open  to  us  but  to  unite  our  pursuits  with 
theirs  ;  besides,  they  were  prepared  in  some  measure  for  such  a 
union ;  for,  while  they  inhabited  the  grassy  lands  round  the  great 
Syrtis,  they  had  come  into  frequent  contact  with  the  English. 
We  had  no  choice,  for  all  the  districts  to  the  northeast  and  east 
of  the  Tsad  were  at  present  in  a  certain  degree  dependent  on 
Waday,  then  at  war  with  Bornu,  and  we  were  told  at  tlie  com- 
mencement that  we  might  go  any  where  except  to  Waday.  In- 
stead of  fighting  it  out  with  his  own  people,  which  certainly  would 
have  been  the  most  honorable  course,  the  vizier  had  ventured  to 
make  use  of  the  remnant  of  the  warlike,  and  at  present  home- 
less tribe  of  the  Welad  Sliman,  in  the  attempt  to  recover  the 
eastern  districts  of  Kanem  from  his  eastern  rival,  or  at  least  to 
prevent  the  latter  from  obtaining  a  sure  footing  in  them ;  for 
this  object  he  had  made  a  sort  of  treaty  with  these  Arabs,  un- 
dertaking to  supply  them  with  horses,  muskets,  powder,  and 
shot.  Thus,  in  order  to  visit  those  inhospitable  regions,  which 
had  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention  in  Europe,  we  were  obliged 
to  embrace  this  opportunity.  Under  these  circumstances,  on 
the  IGth  of  August,  I  sent  the  vizier  word  that  I  was  ready  to 
join  the  Welad  Sliman  in  Burgu ;  whereupon  he  expressed  a 
wish  that  Mr.  Overweg  might  likewise  accompany  us,  the  stay 
in  Kukawa  during  the  rainy  season  being  very  unhealthy. 

Mr.  Overweg  had  returned  on  the  9th  to  Maduwari  from  his 
interesting  voyage  on  the  Tsad,  of  which  every  one  will  deeply 
regret  that  he  himself  was  not  able  to  give  a  full  account.* 
*  I  shall  return  to  the  subject  of  Mr.  Overweg's  voyage. 


^^m.  OVERWEG'S  MEMORANDA. 


233 


Traversino'  that  shallow  basin  m  the  En2;lishboat  ^Yhich  we  had 
carried  all  the  way  through  the  unbounded  sandy  wastes  and 
the  rocky  wildernesses  of  the  desert,  he  had  visited  a  great  part 
of  the  islands  which  are  dispersed  over  its  surface,  and  which, 
sometimes  reduced  to  narrow  sandy  downs,  at  others  expanding 
to  wide  grassy  lowlands,  sustain  a  population  in  their  peculiar 
national  independence,  the  remnant  of  a  great  nation  which  was 
exterminated  by  the  Kanuri.  It  was  a  little  world  of  its  own 
with  which  he  had  thus  come  into  contact,  and  into  which  we 
might  hope  to  obtain  by  degrees  a  better  insight.  He  enjoyed 
excellent  health,  far  better  than  when  I  saw  him  before,  on  his 
first  rejoining  me  in  Kukawa ;  and  as  he  was  well  aware  of  the 
strong  reasons  which  our  friend  the  vizier  had  for  wishing  us 
not  to  stay  in  the  swampy  lowlands  round  the  capital  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  rainy  season,  he  agreed  to  join  me  on  this 
adventurous  expedition  to  the  northeast. 

Those  regions  had,  from  the  very  beginning  of  our  setting 
out  from  Murzuk,  attracted  Mr.  Overweg's  attention,  and  while 
as  yet  unacquainted  with  the  immense  difficulties  that  attend 
traveling  in  these  inhospitable  tracts,  he  had  indulged  in  the 
hope  of  being  able,  at  some  future  time,  to  ramble  about  with 
our  young  Tebu  lad,  Mohammed  el  Gatroni,  among  the  fertile 
and  picturesque  valleys  of  Burgu  and  Wajanga.  For  this  rea- 
son, as  well  as  on  account  of  my  debility,  which  left  me,  during 
the  following  expedition,  the  exercise  of  only  a  small  degree  of 
my  natural  energy,  it  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  my  unfor- 
tunate companion,  who  seemed  never  fully  aware  that  his  life 
was  at  stake,  did  not  take  into  consideration  the  circumstance 
that  he  himself  might  not  be  destined  to  return  home,  in  order 
to  elaborate  his  researches.  If  all  the  information  which  he  oc- 
casionally collected  were  joined  to  mine,  those  countries  would 
be  far  better  known  than  they  now  are ;  but,  instead  of  employ- 
ing his  leisure  hours  in  transcribing  his  memoranda  in  a  form 
intelligible  to  others,  he  left  them  all  on  small  scraps  of  paper, 
negligently  written  witli  lead-pencil,  which,  after  the  lapse  of 
some  time,  would  become  unintelligible  even  to  himself.  It  is 
a  pity  that  so  much  talent  as  my  companion  possessed  was  not 


234 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


allied  with  practical  habits,  and  concentrated  upon  those  sub- 
jects which  he  professed  to  study. 

The  political  horizon  of  Negroland  during  this  time  was  fill- 
ed with  memorable  events,  partly  of  real,  partly  of  fictitious  im- 
portance. Whatever  advantages  Bornu  may  derive  from  its 
central  position,  it  owes  to  it  also  the  risk  of  being  involved  in 
perpetual  struggles  with  one  or  other  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
tries. And  hence  it  is  that,  under  a  weak  government,  this  em- 
pire can  not  stand  for  any  length  of  time ;  it  must  go  on  con- 
quering and  extending  its  dominion  over  adjacent  territories,  or 
it  will  soon  be  overpowered.  Toward  the  north  is  the  empire 
of  the  Turks,  weak  and  crumbling  in  its  centre,  but  always 
grasping  with  its  outlying  members,  and  threatening  to  lay  hold 
of  what  is  around ;  toward  the  northwest  the  Tawarek,  not 
forming  a  very  formidable  united  power,  but  always  ready  to 
pounce  upon  their  prey  whenever  opportunity  offers ;  toward 
the  west  the  empire  of  Sokoto,  great  in  extent,  but  weak  beyond 
description  in  the  unsettled  state  of  its  loosely-connected  prov- 
inces, and  from  the  unenergetic  government  of  a  peacefully- dis- 
posed prince ;  for,  while  one  provincial  governor  was  just  then 
spreading  around  him  the  flames  of  sedition  and  revolt,  toward 
the  south  another  vassal  of  this  same  emj)ire  was  disputing  the 
possession  of  those  regions  whence  the  supply  of  slaves  is  an- 
nually obtained  ;  and  toward  the  east  there  is  an  empire  strong 
in  its  barbarism,  and  containing  the  germs  of  power,  should  it 
succeed  in  j)erfect.ly  uniting  those  heterogeneous  elements  of 
which  it  is  composed — I  mean  Waday. 

With,  regard  to  the  Turks,  the  state  of  affairs  at  this  time 
was  peculiar.  Bornu,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  historical  account 
of  that  empire,  once  embraced  the  whole  region  as  far  as  Fez- 
zan — nay,  even  the  southern  portion  of  Fezzan  itself,  and  even 
Wadan ;  but  since  the  decline  of  the  empire  in  the  latter  half 
of  the  last  century,  these  limits  have  been  abandoned,  and  the 
communication  with  the  north  had,  in  general,  become  extreme- 
ly unsafe.  This  state  of  things  is  necessarily  disadvantageous 
to  a  country  which  depends  for  many  things  on  the  supplies 
conveyed  from  the  north ;  and  the  authorities  naturally  wish 


POLITICAL  SITUATION  OF  BO'ENU. 


235 


that,  since  tliey  themselves,  in  their  present  impotent  condition, 
are  unable  to  afford  security  to  this  important  communication, 
somebody  else  may  do  it.  Hence  it  was  that,  after  my  arrival 
in  April,  when  the  vizier  was  conversing  with  me  about  the 
prospects  of  a  regular  commercial  intercourse  with  the  English, 
he  declared  that  he  should  be  much  pleased  if  the  Turks  would 
occupy  Kawar,  and  more  particularly  Bilma ;  and  by  building 
a  fort,  and  keeping  a  garrison  near  the  salt-mines  of  that  place, 
exercise  some  control  over  the  Tawarek  of  Air,  and  make  them 
responsible  for  robberies  committed  on  the  Fezzan  road.  It 
was  in  consequence  of  this  communication  that  I  begged  her 
majesty's  government  to  enter  into  communication  upon  this 
point  with  the  Porte. 

But  the  matter  was  of  a  very  delicate  nature  with  regard  to 
Bornu.  Indeed,  it  seemed  questionable  whether  the  Turks,  if 
once  firmly  established  in  the  Bilma,  would  not  think  fit  to  ex- 
ercise some  control  over  the  latter  country.  Nay,  it  was  rather 
to  be  feared  that  they  might  try  to  obtain  there  a  firm  footing, 
in  order  to  extend  their  empire ;  and  when  the  news  arrived  in 
Bornu  that  the  ambitious  Hassan  Basha  had  returned  to  his 
post  as  Governor  of  Fezzan,  with  very  ample  instructions,  the 
whole  court  of  Bornu  became  alarmed.  The  effect  of  this  news 
upon  the  disposition  of  the  sheikh  and  the  vizier  to  enter  into 
friendly  relations  with  the  British  government  was  remarkable. 
On  the  5th  of  August  they  were  not  able  to  conceal  their  fear 
lest  a  numberless  host  of  Englishmen  might  come  into  their 
country,  if,  by  signing  the  treaty,  access  was' once  allowed  them, 
as  proposed  by  her  majesty's  government ;  for,  although  they 
were  conscious  of  the  poverty  of  their  country  in  comparison 
with  Europe,  at  times  they  were  apt  to  forget  it.  In  the  after- 
noon of  the  6th  the  courier  arrived,  and  the  same'  evening  Haj 
Beshir  sent  me  word  that  they  were  ready  to  sign  the  treaty ; 
and  afterward  they  were  very  anxious  that  the  English  govern- 
ment should  endeavor  to  prevent  the  Governor  of  Fezzan  from 
carrying  out  the  ulterior  objects  of  his  ambition.  At  that  time 
I  had  assured  myself  that  a  northern  road  through  the  desert 
was  not  suitable  for  European  commerce,  and  that  a  practicable 


236 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


liigli  road,  leading  several  hundred  miles  into  the  interior  of  the 
continent,  and  passing  to  the  south  of  Kano,  the  great  commer- 
cial entrej)6t  of  Central  Africa,  and  only  about  two  hundred 
miles  in  a  straight  line  to  the  south  of  Kukawa,  had  been  found 
in  the  Eiver  Benuwe. 

"With  regard  to  the  empire  of  Sokoto,  there  happened  at  this 
time  a  catastrophe  which,  while  it  was  an  unmistakable  proof 
of  the  debility  of  that  vast  agglomeration  of  provinces,  proved 
at  the  same  time  extremely  favorable  to  Bornu;  for  on  the 
first  of  August  the  news  arrived  that  Bowari  or  Bokhari,  the 
exiled  Governor  of  Khadeja,  who  had  conquered  the  town  and 
killed  his  brother,  had  thrown  back,  with  great  loss,  an  immense 
army  sent  against  him  by  'Aliyu,  the  Emperor  of  Sokoto,  under 
the  command  of  his  prime  minister,  'Abdu  Gedado,  and  com- 
posed of  the  forces  of  the  provinces  of  Kano,  Bauchi,  Katagum, 
Marmar,  and  Boberu,  when  several  hundreds  were  said  to  have 
perished  in  the  komadugu,  or  the  great  fiumara  of  Bornu.  In 
the  spring,  while  j\Ir.  Overweg  was  staying  in  Gober,  the  !Ma- 
riadawa  and  Goberawa  had  made  a  very  successful  expedition 
into  Zanfara ;  and  the  Emperor  of  Sokoto  could  take  no  other 
revenge  upon  them  than  by  sending  orders  to  Kano  that  my 
friends  the  Asbenawa,  many  of  whose  brethren  had  taken  part 
in  this  expedition,  should  be  driven  out  of  the  town,  which  or- 
der was  obeyed,  while  only  the  well-known  Kandake,  the  same 
man  whom  Mr.  Richardson,  on  his  former  journey  into  the  des- 
ert, has  so  frequently  mentioned,  was  admitted  into  the  town 
through  the  intercession  of  the  people  of  Ghadames. 

The  immediate  consequence  of  these  circumstances  was,  that 
the  court  of  Bornu  tried  to  enter  into  more  friendly  relations 
with  the  Asbenawa,  or  the  Tawarek  of  .Asben,  with  whom,  at 
other  times,  they  were  on  unfriendly  terms ;  and  the  prisoners 
whom  they  had  made  on  the  last  expedition  were  released.  The 
coalition  extended  as  far  as  Gober ;  and  the  most  ardent  desire 
of  the  vizier  was  to  march  straight  upon  Kano.  To  conquer 
this  great  central  place  of  commerce  was  the  great  object  of  this 
man's  ambition,  but  for  which  he  did  not  possess  sufficient  en- 
ergy and  self-command.    However,  the  governor  of  that  place, 


WA'DA'Y.  237 

terrified  by  the  victory  of  Bokhari,  who  was  now  enabled  to 
carry  on  his  predatory  expeditions  into  that  rich  territory  with- 
out hinderance,  distributed  sixty  bernuses  and  three  thousand 
dollars  among  the  ^I'allemin  to  induce  them  to  offer  up  their 
prayers  to  Allah  for  the  public  welfare. 

We  have  seen  above  that  the  Bornu  people  had  given  to  their 
relations  with  A^damawa  a  hostile  character;  but  from  that 
quarter  they  had  nothing  to  fear,  the  governor  of  that  province 
being  too  much  occupied  by  the  affairs  of  his  own  country. 

I  will  now  say  a  word  about  Waday.  That  was  the  quarter 
to  which  the  most  anxious  looks  of  the  Bornu  people  were  di- 
rected;  for,  seven  years  previously,  they  had  been  very  nearly 
conquered  by  them,  and  had  employed  every  means  to  get  in- 
formation of  what  was  going  on  there.  But  from  thence  also 
the  news  was  favorable ;  for,  although  the  report  of  the  death 
of  the  Sultan  Mohammed  Sherif,  in  course  of  time,  turned  out 
to  be  false,  still  it  was  true  that  the  country  was  plunged  into  a 
bloody  civil  war  with  the  Abu-Senun,  or  Kodoyi,  and  that  num- 
bers of  enterprising  men  had  succumbed  in  the  struggle. 

The  business  of  the  town  went  on  as  usual,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  'aid  el  fotr,  the  ngumeri  asham,  the  festival  following 
the  great  annual  fast,  which  was  celebrated  in  a  grand  style,  not 
by  the  nation,  which  seemed  to  take  very  little  interest  in  it, 
but  by  the  court.  In  other  places,  like  Kano,  the  rejoicings 
seem  to  be  more  popular  on  this  occasion,  the  children  of  the 
butchers,  or  "masufauchi,"  in  that  great  emporium  of  commerce, 
mounting  some  oxen,  fattened  for  the  occasion,  between  the 
horns,  and  managing  them  by  a  rope  fastened  to  the  neck  and 
another  to  the  hind  leg.  As  for  the  common  people  of  Bornu, 
they  scarcely  took  any  other  part  in  this  festivity  than  by  put- 
ting on  their  best  dresses  ;  and  it  is  a  general  custom  in  larger 
establishments  that  servants  and  attendants  on  this  day  receive 
a  new  shirt. 

I  also  put  on  my  best  dress,  and,  mounting  my  horse,  which 
had  recovered  a  little  from  the  fatigue  of  the  last  journey,  though 
it  was  not  yet  fit  for  another,  proceeded  in  the  morning  to  the 
eastern  town,  or  "billa  gedibe,"  the  great  thoroughfare  being 


238  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

crowded  with  men  on  foot  and  horseback,  passing  to  and  fro, 
all  dressed  in  their  best.  It  had  been  reported  that  the  sheikh 
was  to  say  his  prayers  in  the  mosque,  but  we  soon  discovered 
that  lie  was  to  pray  outside  the  town,  as  large  troops  of  horse- 
men were  leaving  it  through  the  north  gate,  or  "  chinna  yalabe." 
In  order  to  become  aware  of  the  place  where  the  ceremony  was 
going  on,  I  rode  to  the  vizier's  house,  and  met  him  just  as  he 
came  out,  mounted  on  horseback,  and  accompanied  by  a  troop 
of  horsemen. 

At  the  same  time  several  cavalcades  were  seen  coming  from 
various  quarters,  consisting  of  the  kashellas,  or  officers,  each 
with  his  squadron  of  from  a  hundred  to  two  hundred  horsemen, 
all  in  the  most  gorgeous  attire,  particularly  the  heavy  cavalry, 
the  greater  part  being  dressed  in  a  thick-stuffed  coat  called  ''de- 
gibbir,"  and  wearing  over  it  several  tobes  of  all  sorts  of  colors 
and  designs,  and  having  their  heads  covered  with  the  "huge," 
or  casque,"  made  very  nearly  like  those  of  our  knights  in  the 
middle  age,  but  of  lighter  metal,  and  ornamented  with  most 
gaudy  feathers.  Their  horses  were  covered  all  over  with  the 
thick  clothing  called  "libbedi,"  w^tli  various  colored  stripes, 
consisting  of  three  pieces,  and  leaving  nothing  but  the  feet  ex- 
posed, the  front  of  the  head  being  protected  and  adorned  by  a 
metal  plate.  Others  were  dressed  in  a  coat  of  mail,  "sillege," 
and  the  other  kind  called  "  koma-komi'-sube."  The  lighter  cav- 
alry was  only  dressed  in  two  or  three  showy  tobes,  and  small 
white  or  colored  caps  ;  but  the  officers  and  more  favored  attend- 
ants wore  bernuses  of  finer  or  coarser  quality,  and  generally  of 
red  or  yellow  color,  slung  in  a  picturesque  manner  round  the 
upper  part  of  their  body,  so  that  the  inner  wadding  of  richly- 
colored  silk  was  most  exposed  to  view.* 

All  these  dazzling  cavalcades,  among  whom  some  very  excel- 
lent horses  were  seen  prancing  along,  were  moving  toward  the 
northern  gate  of  the  "billa  gedibe,"  while  the  troop  of  the 
sheikh  himself,  who  had  been  staying  in  the  western  town,  was 
coming  from  the  S.W.    The  sight  of  this^trooj),  at  least  from 

*  I  shall  say  more  of  the  military  department  in  my  narrative  of  the  expedi- 
tion to  Musgu. 


THE  FESTIVAL. 


239 


a  little  distance,  as  is  the  case  in  theatrical  scenery,  was  really 
magnificent.  The  troop  was  led  by  a  number  of  horsemen ; 
then  followed  the  livery  slaves  with  their  matchlocks  ;  and  be- 
hind them  rode  the  sheikh,  dressed  as  usual  in  a  white  bernus, 
as  a  token  of  his  religious  character,  but  wearing  round  his  head 
a  red  shawl.  He  was  followed  by  four  magnificent  charges 
clothed  in  Hbbedi  of  silk  of  various  colors ;  that  of  the  first 
horse  being  striped  white  and  yellow,  that  of  the  second  white 
and  brown,  that  of  the  third  white  and  light  green,  and  that  of 
the  fourth  white  and  cherry  red.  This  was  certainly  the  most 
interesting  and  conspicuous  part  of  the  procession.  Behind  the 
horses  followed  the  four  large  'alam  or  ensigns  of  the  sheikh, 
and  the  four  smaller  ones  of  the  musketeers,  and  then  a  numer- 
ous body  of  horsemen. 

This  cavalcade  of  the  sheikh's  now  joined  the  other  troops, 
and  the  whole  body  proceeded  in  the  direction  of  Dawerghu  to 
a  distance  of  about  a  mile  from  the  town.  Here  the  sheikh's 
tent  was  pitclied,  consisting  of  a  very  large  cupola  of  considera- 
ble dimensions,  with  blue  and  white  stripes,  and  curtains,  the 
one  half  white  and  the  other  red ;  the  curtains  were  only  half 
closed.  In  this  tent  the  sheikh  himself,  the  vizier,  and  the  first 
courtiers  were  praying,  while  the  numerous  body  of  horsemen 
and  men  on  foot  were  grouped  around  in  the  most  picturesque 
and  imposing  variety. 

Meanwhile  I  made  the  round  of  this  interesting  scene,  and 
endeavored  to  count  the  various  groups.  In  their  numbers  I 
was  certainly  disappointed,  as  I  had  been  led  to  expect  myri- 
ads. At  the  very  least,  however,  there  were  3000  horsemen, 
and  from  6000  to  7000  armed  men  on  foot,  the  latter  partly 
with  bow  and  arrow.  There  were,  besides,  a  great  multitude  of 
spectators.  The  ceremony  did  not  last  long,  and  as  early  as 
nine  o'clock  the  ganga  summoned  all  the  chiefs  to  mount,  and 
the  dense  mass  of  human  beings  began  to  disperse  and  range 
themselves  in  various  groups.  They  took  their  direction  round 
the  northwestern  corner  of  the  east  town,  and  entered  the  latter 
by  the  western  gate ;  but  the  crowd  was  so  great  that  I  chose 
to  forego  taking  leave  of  the  sheikh,  and  went  slowly  back  over 


240 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


the  intermediate  ground  between  the  two  towns  in  the  company 
of  some  very  chevaleresque  and  well-mounted  young  Arabs 
from  Ben-Ghazi,  and  posted  myself  at  some  distance  from  the 
east  gate  of  the  western  town,  in  order  to  see  the  kashellas,  who 
have  their  residence  in  this  quarter,  pass  by. 

There  were  twelve  or  thirteen,  few  of  whom  had  more  than 
one  hundred  horsemen,  the  most  conspicuous  being  Fugo  'Ali, 
'Ali  ]Marghi',  'Ali  Dendal,  'Ali  Ladan,  Belal,  Salah  Kandil,  and 
Jerma.  It  was  thought  remarkable  that  no  Shuwa  had  come 
to  this  festivity,  but  I  think  they  rarely  do,  although  they  may 
sometimes  come  for  the  'Aid~el-kebir,  or  the  "  ngumeri  layabe." 
It  is  rather  remarkable  that  even  this  smaller  festivity  is  cele- 
brated here  with  such  eclat^  while  in  general  in  Mohammedan 
Negroland  only  the  "laya"  is  celebrated  in  this  way;  perhaps 
this  is  due  to  Egyptian  influence,  and  the  custom  is  as  old  at 
least  as  the  time  of  the  King  Edris  Alawoma. 

I  had  the  inexpressible  delight  of  receiving  by  the  courier, 
who  arrived  on  the  6th  of  August,  a  considerable  parcel  of  let- 
ters from  Europe,  which  assured  me  as  well  of  the  great  inter- 
est which  was  generally  felt  in  our  undertaking,  although  as 
yet  only  very  little  of  our  first  proceedings  had  become  known, 
as  that  we  should  be  enabled  to  carry  out  our  enterprise  with- 
out too  many  privations.  I  therefore  collected  all  the  little  en- 
ergy whicli  my  sickly  state  had  left  me,  and  concluded  the  re- 
port of  my  journey  to  A^damawa,  w^hich  caused  me  a  great  deal 
of  pain,  but  which,  forwarded  on  the  8th  of  August,  together 
with  the  news  of  Mr.  Overweg's  successful  navigation,  produced 
a  great  deal  of  satisfaction  in  Europe.  Together  with  the  let- 
ters and  sundry  Maltese  portfolios,  I  had  also  the  pleasure  of 
receiving  several  numbers  of  the  "Athena3um,"  probably  the 
first  which  were  introduced  into  Central  Africa,  and  which  gave 
me  great  delight. 

Altogether,  our  situation  in  the  country  was  not  so  bad.  We 
were  on  the  best  and  most  friendly  terms  with  the  rulers ;  we 
were  not  only  tolerated,  but  even  respected  by  the  natives,  and 
we  saw  an  immense  field  of  interesting  and  useful  labor  open  to 
us.    There  was  only  one  disagreeable  circumstance  besides  the 


DEPENDENT  SITUATION. 


241 


peculiar  nature  of  the  climate  ;  this  was  the  fact  that  our  means 
were  too  small  to  render  us  quite  independent  of  the  sheikh  and 
his  vizier ;  for  the  scanty  supplies  which  had  reached  us  were 
not  sufficient  to  provide  for  our  wants,  and  were  soon  gone. 
We  were  scarcely  able  to  keep  ourselves  afloat  on  our  credit, 
and  to  supply  our  most  necessary  wants.  Mr.  Overweg,  be- 
sides receiving  a  very  handsome  horse  from  them,  had  also  been 
obliged  to  accept  at  their  hands  a  number  of  tobes,  which  he 
had  made  presents  of  to  the  chiefs  of  the  Budduma,  and  they 
looked  upon  him  as  almost  in  their  employment.  He  lost  a 
great  deal  of  his  time  in  repairing,  or  rather  trying  to  repair, 
their  watches  and  other  things.  Such  services  I  had  declined 
from  the  beginning,  and  was  therefore  regarded  as  less  useful ; 
and  I  had  occasionally  to  hear  it  said,  "  'Abd  el  Kerim  faidanse 
bago" — 'Abd  el  Kerim  is  of  no  use  whatever;"  nevertheless, 
I  myself  was  not  quite  independent  of  their  kindness,  although 
I  sacrificed  all  I  could  in  order  to  give  from  time  to  time  a  new 
impulse  to  their  ftivor  by  an  occasional  present. 

The  horse  which  they  had  first  given  me  had  proved  incapa- 
ble of  such  fatigue  as  it  had  to  undergo,  and  the  animal  which 
I  had  bought  before  going  to  A^'damawa  had  been  too  much 
knocked  up  to  stand  another  journey  so  soon  ;  -and,  after  having 
bought  two  other  camels  and  prepared  myself  for  another  expe- 
dition, I  was  unable,  with  my  present  means,  to  buy  a  good 
horse.  Kemembering,  therefore,  what  the  vizier  had  told  me 
with  regard  to  my  first  horse,  I  sent  him  word  that  he  would 
greatly  oblige  me  by  making  me  a  present  of  one,  and  he  was 
kind  enough  to  send  me  four  animals  from  which  to  choose ;  but 
as  none  of  these  satisfied  me,  I  rejected  them  all,  intimating  very 
simply  that  it  was  impossible,  among  four  nags^  "  kadara,"  to 
choose  one  horse,  *'fir."  This  hint,  after  a  little  further  explana- 
tion, my  friend  did  not  fail  to  understand,  and  in  the  evening  of 
the  7th  of  September  he  sent  me  a  horse  from  his  own  stable, 
which  became  my  faithful  and  noble  companion  for  the  next  four 
campaigns,  and  from  which  I  did  not  part  till,  after  my  return 
from  Timbuktu  in  December,  1854,  he  succumbed  to  sickness 
in  Kan 6. 

Vol.  II.— Q 


242 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


He  was  the  envy  of  all  the  great  men,  from  the  Sultan  of 
Bagirmi  to  the  chiefs  of  the  Tademekket  and  Awelimmiden  near 
Timbuktu.  His  color  was  a  shade  of  gray,  with  beautiful  light 
leopard-like  spots  ;  and  the  Kanuri  were  not  unanimous  w^ith  re- 
gard to  the  name  which  they  gave  it,  some  calling  it  "  sheg- 
gara,"  while  others  thought  the  name  "keri  sassarandi'  more 
suitable  to  it.  In  the  company  of  mares  he  was  incapable  of 
walking  quietly,  but  kept  playing  in  order  to  show  himself  off 
to  advantage.  The  Bornu  horses  in  general  are  very  spirited 
and  fond  of  prancing.  He  was  an  excellent  "  kerisa"  or  march- 
er, and  "  doy"  or  swift  in  the  extreme,  but  very  often  lost  his 
start  by  his  playfulness.  Of  his  strength,  the  extent  of  the 
journeys  which  he  made  with  me  bears  ample  testimony,  par- 
ticularly if  the  warlike,  scientific,  and  victualing  stores  which  I 
used  to  carry  with  me  are  taken  into  account.  He  was  a  "ngir- 
ma,"  but  not  of  the  largest  size.  Mr.  Overweg's  horse  was  al- 
most half  a  hand  higher ;  but  while  mine  was  a  lion  in  agility, 
my  companion's  horse  was  not  unlike  a  hippopotamus  in  plump- 
ness. 

With  such  a  horse  I  prepared  cheerfully  for  my  next  expe- 
dition, which  I  regarded  in  the  light  both  of  an  undertaking  in 
the  interests  of  science  and  as  a  medicinal  course  for  restoring 
my  health,  which  threatened  to  succumb  in  the  unhealthy  region 
of  Kukawa.  Besides  two  Fezzani  lads,  I  had  taken  into  my 
service  two  Arabs  belonging  to  the  tribe  of  the  Welad  Sliman, 
and  whose  names  were  Bu-Zed  and  Hasen  ben  Har. 


DEPARTURE  FROM  KU'KAWA. 


243 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

EXPEDITION   TO  KaNEM. 

September  Wth^  1851.  Having  decided  upon  leaving  the 
town  in  advance  of  the  Arabs,  in  order  to  obtain  leisure  for  trav- 
eling slowly  the  first  few  days,  and  to  accustom  my  feeble  frame 
once  more  to  the  fatigues  of  a  continual  march,  after  a  rest  of 
forty  days  in  the  town  I  ordered  my  people  to  get  my  luggage 
ready  in  the  morning. 

I  had  plenty  of  provisions,  such  as  zummita,  dweda  or  ver- 
micelli, mohamsa,  and  nakia,  a  sort  of  sweetmeat  made  of  rice 
with  butter  and  honey — two  skins  of  each  quality.  All  was 
stowed  away,  with  the  little  luggage  I  intended  taking  with  me 
on  this  adventurous  joui'ney,  in  two  pairs  of  large  leathern  bags 
or  kewa,  which  my  two  camels  were  to  carry. 

When  all  w^as  ready  I  went  to  the  vizier,  in  order  to  take 
leave  of  him  and  arrange  with  my  former  servant,  Mohammed 
ben  S'ad,  to  whom  I  owed  thirty-five  dollars.  Haj  Beshir,  as 
usual,  was  very  kind  and  amiable ;  but  as  for  my  former  serv- 
ant, having  not  a  single  dollar  in  cash,  I  was  obliged  to  give  him 
a  bill  upon  Fezzan  for  seventy-five  dollars.  There  was  also  a 
long  talk  on  the  subject  of  the  enormous  debt  due  to  the  Fez- 
zani  merchant,  Mohammed  e'  Sfaksi ;  and  as  it  was  not  possible 
to  settle  it  at  once,  I  was  obliged  to  leave  its  definite  arrange- 
ment to  Mr.  Overweg. 

All  this  disagreeable  business,  which  is  so  killing  to  the  best 
hours  and  destroys  half  the  energy  of  the  traveler,  had  retard- 
ed my  departure  so  long  that  the  sun  was  just  setting  when  I 
left  the  gate  of  the  town.  My  little  caravan  was  very  incom- 
plete ;  for  my  only  companion  on  emerging  from  the  gate  into 
the  high  waving  fields  of  Guinea-corn,  which  entirely  concealed 
the  little  suburb,  was  an  unfortunate  young  man  whom  I  had 


244 


TRiiVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


not  hired  at  all,  my  three  hired  servants  having  staid  behind  on 
some  pretext  or  other.  This  lad  was  Mohammed  ben  Ahmed, 
a  native  from  Fezzan,  whom  I  wanted  to  hire,  or  rather  hired 
in  Gummel,  in  March  last,  for  two  Spanish  dollars  a  month, 
but  who,  having  been  induced  by  his  companions  in  the  cara- 
van, with  which  he  had  just  amved  from  the  north,  to  forego  the 
service  of  a  Christian,  had  broken  his  word,  and  gone  on  with 
the  caravan  of  the  people  from  Sokna,  leaving  me  with  only  one 
useful  servant.  But  he  had  found  sufficient  leisure  to  repent 
of  his  dishonorable  conduct ;  for,  having  been  at  the  verge  of  the 
grave  in  Kano,  and  being  reduced  to  the  utmost  misery,  he  came 
to  Kiikawa,  begging  my  pardon,  and  entreating  my  compassion  ; 
and,  after  some  expostulation,  I  allowed  him  to  stay  without 
hiring  him ;  and  it  was  only  on  seeing  his  attachment  to  me  in 
the  course  of  time  that  I  afterward  granted  him  a  dollar  a  month, 
and  he  did  not  obtain  two  dollars  till  my  leaving  Zinder  in  Jan- 
uary, 1853,  on  my  way  to  Timbuktu,  when  I  was  obliged  to 
augment  the  salary  of  all  my  people.  This  lad  followed  me 
with  my  two  camels. 

All  was  fertility  and  vegetation,  though  these  fields  near  the 
capital  are  certainly  not  the  best  situated  in  Bornu.  I  felt 
strengthened  by  the  fresh  air,  and  followed  the  eastern  path, 
which  did  not  offer  any  place  for  an  encampment.  Looking 
round,  I  saw  at  length  two  of  my  men  coming  toward  us,  and 
found,  to  the  left  of  the  track,  on  a  little  sandy  eminence,  a  con- 
venient spot  for  pitching  my  tent.  I  felt  happy  in  having  left 
the  monotony  and  closeness  of  the  town  behind  me.  Nothing 
in  the  world  makes  me  feel  happier  than  a  wide,  open  country, 
a  commodious  tent,  and  a  fine  horse.  But  I  was  not  quite  com- 
fortable ;  for,  having  forgotten  to  close  my  tent,  I  was  greatly 
annoyed  by  the  musquitoes,  which  prevented  my  getting  any 
sleep.  The  lake  being  very  near,  the  dew  was  so  heavy  that 
next  morning  my  tent  was  as  wet  as  if  it  had  been  soaked  with 
water. 

September  12th,  Notwithstanding  these  inconveniences,  I 
awoke  in  the  morning  with  a  grateful  heart,  and  cared  little  about 
the  flies  which  soon  began  to  attack  me.    I  sat  down  outside 


DAWERGHU'. 


245 


the  tent  to  enjoy  my  liberty :  it  was  a  fine  morning,  and  I  sat  for 
hours  tranquilly  enjoying  the  most  simple  landscape  (the  lake 
not  being  visible,  and  scarcely  a  single  tree  in  sight)  which  a  man 
can  fancy.  But  all  was  so  quiet,  and  bespoke  such  serenity 
and  content,  that  I  felt  quite  happy  and  invigorated.  I  did  not 
think  about  writing,  but  idled  away  the  whole  day.  In  the 
evening  my  other  man  came,  and  brought  me  a  note  from  Mr. 
Overweg,  addressed  to  me  "in  campo  caragse  ^thiopiensis" 
(karaga  means  wilderness). 

Saturday^  September  IZth,  I  decided  late  in  the  morning, 
when  the  dew  had  dried  up  a  little,  upon  moving  my  encampment 
a  short  distance,  but  had  to  change  my  path  for  a  more  westerly 
one,  on  account  of  the  large  swampy  ponds  formed  at  the  end 
of  the  rainy  season  in  the  concavity  at  the  foot  of  the  sand-hills 
of  Dawerghu.  The  vegetation  is  rich  during  this  season,  even 
in  this  monotonous  district. 

Having  at  length  entered  the  corn-,  or  rather  millet-fields  of 
Dawerghu,  we  soon  ascended  the  sand-hills,  where  the  whole 
character  of  the  landscape  is  altered ;  for,  while  the  dum-bush 
almost  ceases,  the  retem,  Spartium  monosjpermum^  is  the  most 
common  botanical  ornament  of  the  ground  where  the  cultivation 
of  the  fields  has  left  a  free  spot,  while  fine  specimens  of  the  mi- 
mosa break  the  monotony  of  the  fields.  Having  passed  several 
clusters  of  cottages  forming  an  extensive  district,  I  saw  to  the 
right  an  open  space  descending  toward  a  green  sheet  of  water, 
filling  a  sort  of  valley  or  hollow,  where,  a  short  time  afterward, 
when  the  summer  harvest  is  over,  the  peculiar  sort  of  sorghum 
called  masakwa  is  sown.  Being  shaded  by  some  fine  acacias, 
the  spot  was  very  inviting,  and  feeling  already  tired,  sick  and 
weak  as  I  was,  though  after  a  journey  of  only  two  hours,  I  de- 
termined to  remain  there  during  the  heat  of  the  day.  I  had 
scarcely  stretched  myself  on  the  ground  when  a  man  brought 
me  word  that  a  messenger,  sent  by  Ghet,  the  chief  of  the  Welad 
Sliman,  had  passed  by  with  the  news  that  this  wandering  and 
marauding  tribe  had  left  Burgu  and  returned  to  Kanem.  This 
was  very  unpleasant  news,  as,  from  all  that  I  had  heard,  it  ap- 
peared to  me  that  Burgu  must  be  an  interesting  country,  at  least 


246 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


as  much  so  as  A^sben  or  Air,  being  favored  by  deep  valleys  and 
ravines,  and  living  sources  of  fine  water,  and  producing,  besides 
great  quantities  of  excellent  dates,  even  grapes  and  figs,  at  least 
in  some  favored  spots. 

The  morning  had  been  rather  dull,  but  before  noon  the  sun 
shone  forth,  and  our  situation  on  the  sloping  ground  of  the  high 
country,  overlooking  a  great  extent  of  land  in  the  rich  dress  of 
vegetable  life,  was  very  pleasant.  There  was  scarcely  a  bare 
spot ;  all  was  green,  except  that  the  ears  of  the  millet  and  sor- 
ghum were  almost  ripe,  and  began  to  assume  a  yellowish-brown 
tint ;  but  how  different  is  the  height  of  the  stalks,  the  very 
largest  of  which  scarcely  exceeds  fifteen  feet,  from  those  I  saw 
afterward  on  my  return  from  Timbuktu,  in  the  rich  valleys  of 
Kebbi.  Several  Kanembu  were  passing  by,  and  enlivened  the 
scenery. 

When  the  heat  of  the  sun  began  to  abate  I  set  my  little  car- 
avan once  more  in  motion,  and  passed  on  through  the  level  coun- 
try, which  in  the  simplicity  of  my  mind  I  thought  beautiful, 
and  which  I  greatly  enjoyed.  After  about  an  hour's  march  we 
passed  a  large  pond  or  pool,  situated  to  the  left  of  the  road,  and 
formed  by  the  rains,  bordered  by  a  set  of  trees  of  the  acacia 
tribe,  and  enlivened  by  a  large  herd  of  fine  cattle.  Toward 
evening,  after  some  trouble,  we  found  a  path  leading  through 
the  fields  into  the  interior  of  a  little  village,  called  Alairuk,  al- 
most hidden  behind  the  high  stalks  of  millet.  Our  reception 
was  rather  cold,  such  as  a  stranger  may  expect  to  find  in  all  the 
villages  near  a  capital,  the  inhabitants  of  which  are  continually 
pestered  by  calls  upon  their  hospitality.  But,  carrying  my  lit- 
tle residence  and  all  the  comforts  I  wanted  with  me,  I  cared  lit- 
tle about  their  treatment,  and  my  tent  was  soon  pitched  in  a 
separate  court-yard.  But  all  my  enjoyment  was  destroyed  by 
a  quarrel  which  arose  between  my  horseman  and  the  master  of 
the  dwelling,  who  would  not  allow  him  to  put  his  horse  where 
he  wished :  my  horseman  had  even  the  insolence  to  beat  the 
man  who  had  received  us  into  his  house.  This  is  the  way  in 
which  affairs  are  managed  in  these  countries. 

Sunday^  September  lAth.  After  a  refreshing  night,  I  started 


VARIETY  OF  TREES. 


247 


a  little  later  than  on  the  day  previous,  winding  along  a  narrow 
path  through  the  fields,  where,  besides  sorghum,  karas  {Hibiscus 
Gsculentus)  is  cultivated,  which  is  an  essential  thing  for  preparing 
the  soups  of  the  natives,  in  districts  where  the  leaves  of  the 
kuka  or  monkey-bread-tree,  and  of  the  hajilij,  or  Balanites,  are 
wanting ;  for,  though  the  town  of  Kukawa  has  received  its  name 
from  the  circumstance  that  a  young  tree  of  this  species  was 
found  on  the  spot  where  the  Sheikh  Mohammed  el  Kanemi,  the 
father  of  the  ruling  sultan,  laid  the  first  foundation  of  the  pres- 
ent town,  nevertheless  scarcely  any  kuka  is  seen  for  several 
miles  round  Kukawa. 

The  sky  was  cloudy,  and  the  country  became  less  interest- 
ing than  the  day  before.  We  met  a  small  troop  of  native  tra- 
ders, with  dried  fish,  which  forms  a  great  article  of  commerce 
throughout  Bornu;  for,  though  the  Kanuri  people  at  present 
are  almost  deprived  of  the  dominion,  and  even  the  use,  of  the 
fine  sheet  of  water  which  spreads  out  in  the  midst  of  their  terri- 
tories, the  fish,  to  which  their  forefathers  have  given  the  name 
of  food  (bu-ni,  from  bu,  to  eat),  has  remained  a  necessary  article 
for  making  their  soups.  The  fields  in  this  part  of  the  country 
were  not  so  well  looked  after,  and  were  in  a  more  neglected 
state,  but  there  was  a  tolerable  variety  of  trees,  though  rather 
scanty.  Besides  prickly  underwood  of  talhas,  there  were  prin- 
cipally the  hajilij  or  bito  {Balanites  JEgyptiacd),  the  selim,  the 
kurna,  the  serrakh,  and  the  gherret  or  Mimosa  Nilotica.  Far- 
ther on,  a  short  time  before  we  came  to  the  village  Kalikagori, 
I  observed  a  woman  collecting  the  seeds  of  an  eatable  Poa,  call- 
ed "kreb"  or  "kasha,"  of  which  there  are  several  species,  by 
swinging  a  sort  of  basket  through  the  rich  meadow-ground. 
These  species  of  grasses  afford  a  great  deal  of  food  to  the  in- 
habitants of  Bornu,  Bagirmi,  and  Waday,  but  more  especially 
to  the  Arab  settlers  in  these  countries,  or  the  Shuwa ;  in  Bor- 
nu, at  least,  I  have  never  seen  the  black  natives  make  use  of 
this  kind  of  food,  while  in  Bagirmi  it  seems  to  constitute  a  sort 
of  luxury  even  with  the  wealthier  classes.  The  reader  will  see 
in  the  course  of  my  narrative  that  in  Mas-eiia  I  lived  principal- 
ly on  this  kind  of  Poa.  It  makes  a  liglit,  palatable  dish,  but 
requires  a  great  deal  of  butter. 


248 


TRAVELS  EST  AFRICA. 


After  having  entered  the  forest  and  passed  several  small  wa- 
ter-pools, we  encamped  near  one  of  these  Avhen  the  heat  of  the 
sun  began  to  make  itself  felt.  This  district  abounded  in  mimo- 
sas of  the  species  called  gherret,  um-el-barka,  or  "kingar," 
which  affords  a  very  excellent  wood  for  saddles  and  other  pur- 
poses, while  the  coals  prepared  from  it  are  used  for  making  pow- 
der. My  old  talkative,  but  not  very  energetic  companion,  Bu- 
Zed,  was  busy  in  making  new  pegs  for  my  tent,  the  very  hard 
black  ground  of  Bornu  destroying  pegs  very  soon ;  and  in  the 
mean  time,  assisted  by  Hosen  ben  Har,  gave  me  a  first  insight 
into  the  numerous  tribes  living  in  Kanem  and  round  the  bahar- 
el-ghazal.  The  fruits  of  the  gherret,  which  in  their  general  ap- 
pearance are  very  like  those  of  the  tamarind-tree,  are  a  very  im- 
portant native  medicine,  especially  in  cases  of  dysentery,  and  it 
is  most  probably  to  them  that  I  owed  my  recovery  when  at- 
tacked by  that  destructive  disease  during  my  second  stay  in 
Sokoto  in  September,  1854.  The  same  tree  is  essential  for  pre- 
paring the  w^ater-skins,  that  most  necessary  article  for  crossing 
the  desert.  The  kajiji  was  plentiful  in  the  neighborhood.  The 
root  of  this  little  plant,  which  is  about  the  size  of  a  nut,  the  na- 
tives use  in  the  most  extensive  way  for  perfuming  themselves 
with. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  continued  our  journey  through  the 
forest,  which  was  often  interrupted  by  open  patches.  After 
having  pursued  the  path  for  some  miles,  we  quitted  it,  and  trav- 
eled in  a  more  easterly  direction,  through  a  pleasant,  hilly  coun- 
try, full  of  verdure,  and  affording  pasturage  to  a  great  many 
cattle ;  for  the  Kanem bu,  like  the  Fiilbe,  go  w^ith  their  herds 
to  a  great  distance  during  certain  seasons  of  the  year ;  and  all 
the  cattle  from  the  places  about  Xgornu  northward  are  to  be 
found  in  these  quarters  during  the  cold  season.  But,  not  being- 
able  to  find  water  here,  we  were  obliged  to  try  the  opposite  di- 
rection in  order  to  look  for  this  element,  so  essential  for  pass- 
ing a  comfortable  night.  At  length,  late  in  the  evening,  trav- 
ersing a  very  rugged  tract  of  country,  we  reached  the  temporary 
encampment  or  beri  of  a  party  of  Kanembu  with  their  herds, 
while  a  larger  beri  was  moving  eastward.    Here  also  we  were 


ENEMIES  TURN  FRIENDS. 


249 


unable  to  lind  water,  and  even  milk  was  to  be  got  but  spar- 
ingly. 

Monday,  15t/i.  Before  we  were  ready  to  move  tlie  whole 
nomadic  encampment  broke  up,  the  cattle  going  in  front,  and 
the  men,  women,  and  children  following  with  their  little  house- 
hold on  asses.  The  most  essential  or  only  apparatus  of  these 
wandering  neatherds  are  the  tall  sticks  for  hanging  up  the 
milk  to  secure  it ;  the  "  sakti,"  or  skins  for  milk  and  water,  the 
calabashes,  and  the  korio.  The  men  are  always  armed  with 
their  long  wooden  shields,  the  "  ngawa  fogobe,"  and  their  spears, 
and  some  are  most  fantastically  dressed,  as  I  have  described  on 
a  former  occasion.  After  having  loaded  our  camels  and  pro- 
ceeded some  distance,  we  came  to  the  temporary  abode  of  an- 
other large  herd,  whose  guardians  at  first  behaved  unfriendly, 
forbidding  us  to  taste  a  drop  of  their  delicious  stuff ;  but  they 
soon  exchanged  their  haughty  manners  for  the  utmost  cordial- 
ity, when  M'adi,  an  elder  brother  of  Fugo  'Ali,  our  friend  in 
Maduwari,  recognized  me.  He  even  insisted  on  my  encamping 
on  the  spot,  and  staying  the  day  with  him,  and  it  was  with  dif- 
ficulty that  he  allowed  me  to  pursue  my  march,  after  having 
swallowed  as  much  delicious  milk  as  my  stomach  would  bear. 
Further  on  we  joined  the  main  road,  and  found  to  the  left  of  it 
a  handsome  pool  of  muddy  water,  and  filled  two  skins  with  it. 
Certainly  there  is  nothing  worse  for  a  European  than  this  stag- 
nant dirty  water  ;  but  during  the  rainy  season,  and  for  a  short 
time  afterward,  he  is  rarely  able  to  get  any  other. 

Soon  after,  I  had  another  specimen  of  the  treatment  to  which 
the  natives  are  continually  exposed  from  the  king's  servants  in 
these  countries ;  for,  meeting  a  large  herd  of  fine  sheep,  my 
horse-guard  managed  to  lay  hold  of  the  finest  specimen  of  the 
whole  herd,  notwithstanding  the  cries  of  the  shepherd,  whom  I 
in  vain  endeavored  to  console  by  offering  him  the  price  of  the 
animal.  During  the  heat  of  the  day,  when  we  were  encamped 
under  the  scanty  shade  of  a  few  gawo,  my  people  slaughtered 
the  sheep  ;  but,  as  in  general,  I  only  tasted  a  little  of  the  liver. 
The  shade  was  so  scanty  and  the  sun  so  hot  that  I  felt  very 
weak  in  the  afternoon  when  we  went  on  a  little. 


250 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


2\icsday,  September  1  Qth.  I  felt  tolerably  strong.  Soon  aft- 
er -we  liad  started  we  met  a  great  many  horses  which  had  been 
sent  here  for  pasturage,  and  then  encountered  another  fish  kafla. 
My  horseman  wanted  me  all  at  once  to  proceed  to  the  town  of 
Y6,  from  whence  he  was  to  return ;  and  he  continued  on  with- 
out stopping,  although  I  very  soon  felt  tired  and  wanted  to 
make  a  halt.  The  country,  at  the  distance  of  some  miles  south 
from  the  komadugu,  is  rather  monotonous  and  barren,  and  the 
large  tamarind-tree  behind  the  town  of  Y6  is  seen  from  such  a 
distance  that  the  traveler,  having  the  same  conspicuous  object 
before  his  eyes  for  such  a  length  of  time,  becomes  tired  out  be- 
fore he  reaches  it.  The  dum-palm  is  the  principal  tree  in  this 
flat  region,  forming  detached  clusters,  while  the  ground  in  gen- 
eral is  extremely  barren. 

Proceeding  with  my  guardian  in  advance,  we  at  length  reach- 
ed the  town,  in  front  of  which  there  is  a  little  suburb ;  and  be- 
ing uncertain  whether  we  should  take  quarters  inside  or  out- 
side, we  entered  it.  It  consisted  of  closely-packed  streets,  was 
extremely  hot,  and  exhaled  such  an  offensive  smell  of  dried  fish 
that  it  appeared  to  me  a  very  disagreeable  and  intolerable  abode. 
]S"evertheless,  we  rode  to  the  house  of  the  shitima,  or,  rather,  in 
the  full  form,  Shitima  Yoma  (which  is  the  title  the  governor 
bears),  a  large  building  of  clay.  He  was  just  about  taking  an- 
other wife  ;  and  large  quantities  of  corn,  intended  as  provision 
for  his  new  household,  were  heaped  up  in  front  of  it.*  Having 
applied  to  his  men  for  quarters,  a  small  court-yard  with  a  large 

*  The  maiTiage  (niga)  ceremonies  in  this  country  fill  a  whole  week.  The 
first  clay  is  dedicated  to  the  feasting  on  the  favorite  "nakia,"  the  paste  mention- 
ed before  ;  the  second  to  the  "  ti'ggra,"  a  dried  j^aste  made  of  millet,  with  an  im- 
mense quantity  of  pepper  ;  the  third  to  the  "  ngaji,"  the  common  dish  made  of 
sorghum,  with  a  little  fish  sauce,  if  possible;  the  fourth  day  is  called  "liktere," 
I  think  from  the  taking  away  the  emblems  of  the  virginal  state  of  the  bride, 
"  lardssa ;"  the  fifth,  the  bride  is  placed  on  a  mat  or  bushi,  from  which  she  rises 
seven  times,  and  kneels  down  as  often ;  this  is  called  "  bushiro,"  or  "  biichiro 
genatsin ;"  the  next  day,  which  must  be  a  Friday,  her  female  friends  wash  her 
head  while  singing,  and  in  the  evening  she  is  placed  upon  a  horse  and  brought 
to  the  house  of  the  bridegroom,  where  the  final  act  of  the  niga  is  accomplished. 
The  Kanuri  are  very  peculiar  in  the  distinction  of  a  marriage  with  a  virgin, 
"fero,"  or  "fero  kuyanga,"  or  a  Avidow,  or  "kamo  zdwar." 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


253 


Imt  was  assigned  to  us  in  another  part  of  the  town,  and  wo 
went  there ;  but  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  make  myself  in 
any  way  comfortable  in  this  narrow  space,  where  a  small  gawo 
afforded  very  scanty  shade.  Being  almost  suffocated,  and  feel- 
ing very  unwell,  I  mounted  my  horse  again,  and  hastened  out 
of  the  gate,,  and  was  very  glad  to  have  regained  the  fresh  air. 
We  then  encamped  about  600  yards  from  the  town,  near  a 
shady  tamarind-tree;  and  I  stretched  my  feeble  limbs  on  the 
ground,  and  fell  into  a  sort  of  lethargy  for  some  hours,  enjoying 
a  luxurious  tranquillity  ;  I  was  so  fatigued  with  my  morning's 
ride  that  I  thought  with  apprehension  on  what  would  become 
of  me  after  my  companions  had  joined  me,  when  I  should  be 
obliged  to  bear  fatigue  of  a  quite  different  description. 

As  soon  as  I  felt  strong  enough  to  rise  from  my  couch,  1 
walked  a  few  paces  in  order  to  get  a  sight  of  the  river  or  "  ko- 
madugu."  It  was  at  present  a  fine  sheet  of  water,  the  bed  be- 
ing entirely  full,  "  tsimbullena,"  and  the  stream  running  toward 
the  Tsad  with  a  strong  current ;  indeed,  I  then  scarcely  suspect- 
ed that  on  another  occasion  I  should  encamp  for  several  days 
in  the  dry  bed  of  this  river,  which,  notwithstanding  the  cleai- 
and  undoubted  statements  of  the  members  of  the  former  expe- 
dition with  regard  to  its  real  character,  had  been  made  by  Cap- 
tain W.  Allen  to  carry  the  superfluous  waters  of  the  Tsad  into 
the  Kwara.  The  shores  of  the  komadugu  near  this  place  arc 
quite  picturesque,  being  bordered  by  splendid  tamarind-trees, 
and  "kinzim,"  or  dum-palms,  besides  fine  specimens  of  the 
acacia  tribe  on  the  northern  shore.  At  the  foot  of  the  tama- 
rind-trees a  very  good  kind  of  cotton  is  grown,  while  lower 
down,  just  at  this  season  of  the  year,  wheat  is  produced  by  ir- 
rigating regularly  laid-out  grounds  by  way  of  the  shaduf  or 
"  lambuna."  Cotton  and  small  quantities  of  wheat  are  the  only 
produce  of  this  region,  besides  fish  and  the  fruit  of  the  Cucife- 
ra  or  dum-palm,  which  forms  an  essential  condiment  for  the 
"  kunu,"  a  kind  of  soup  made  of  Negro  millet ;  for  the  place  is 
entirely  destitute  of  any  other  Cerealia^  and  millet  and  sor- 
ghum are  grown  only  to  a  small  extent.  Cattle  also  are  very 
scarce  in  Y6,  and  very  little  milk  is  to  be  procured.    Fish  is 


254 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


the  principal  food  of  the  inhabitants,  of  which  there  are  several 
very  palatable  species  in  the  river,  especially  one  of  considera- 
ble size,  from  eighteen  to  twenty  inches  long,  with  a  very  small 
mouth,  resembling  the  mullet. 

I  saw  also  a  specimen  of  the  electric  fish,  about  ten  inches 
long,  and  very  fat,  which  was  able  to  numb  the  arm  of  a  man 
for  several  minutes.  It  was  of  an  ashy  color  on  the  back,  while 
the  belly  was  quite  white ;  the  tail  and  the  hind  fins  were  red. 
3Ir.  Overweg  made  a  slight  sketch  of  one. 

During  the  night  a  heavy  gale  arose,  and  we  had  to  fasten 
the  ropes  attached  to  the  top  of  the  pole ;  but  the  storm  passed 
by,  and  there  was  not  a  drop  of  rain ;  indeed,  the  rainy  season, 
with  regard  to  Bornu,  had  fairly  gone  by. 

Wednesday^  Sejytember  11th.  Enjoyed  in  the  morning  the 
scenery  and  the  fresh  air  of  the  river.  Men  w^ere  coming  to 
bathe,  women  fetching  water,  and  passengers  and  small  paiiies 
were  crossing  the  river,  swimming  across  with  their  clothes 
upon  their  heads,  or  sitting  on  a  yoke  of  calabashes  with  the 
water  up  to  their  middle.  A  kafla  or  "  karabka"  of  Tebu  peo- 
ple from  Kanem  had  arrived  the  day  before,  and  were  encamp- 
ed on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  being  eager  to  cross,  but  they 
were  not  allowed  to  do  so  till  they  had  obtained  permission : 
for,  during  several  months,  this  river  or  valley  forms  annually  a 
sort  of  quarantine  line,  while  during  the  other  portion  of  the 
year  small  caravans,  at  least,  go  to  and  fro  at  their  pleasure. 

The  only  boat  upon  the  water  was  a  makara,  formed  by  sev- 
eral yokes  of  calabashes,  and  of  that  frail  character  described  by 
me  in  another  part  of  this  work,  in  which  we  ourselves  were  to 
cross  the  river.  Unfortunately,  it  was  not  possible  to  enjoy 
quietly  and  decently  the  beautiful  shade  of  the  splendid  tama- 
rind-trees, on  account  of  the  number  of  water-fowl  and  pelicans 
which  reside  in  their  branches. 

On  removing  some  of  my  luggage,  I  found  that  the  white 
ants  were  busy  destroying,  as  fast  as  possible,  my  leather  bags 
and  mats,  and  we  were  accordingly  obliged  to  remove  every 
thing,  and  to  place  layers  of  branches  underneath.  There  are 
great  numbers  of  ants  hereabouts,  but  only  moderately-sized 


ARRIVAL  OF  MR.  OVERWEG. 


255 


ant-hills  are  seen ;  nothing  like  the  grand  structures  which  I 
afterward  saw  in  Bagirmi. 

Thursday^  September  About  two  hours  after  midnight 

Mr.  Overweg  arrived,  accompanied  by  one  of  the  most  conspicu- 
ous of  the  Welad  Sliman,  of  the  name  of  Khalef-Allah,  announc- 
ing the  approach  of  our  little  troop,  which  did  not,  however, 
make  its  appearance  until  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  the 
most  courageous  and  best  mounted  of  them  galloped  up  to  my 
tent  in  pairs,  brandishing  their  guns.  There  were  twenty-five 
horsemen,  about  a  dozen  men  mounted  upon  camels,  and  seven 
or  eight  on  foot,  besides  children.  They  dismounted  a  little  to 
the  east  of  our  tents,  and  formed  quite  an  animated  encamp- 
ment, though,  of  course,  quarrels  were  sure  to  break  out  soon. 

Feeling  a  little  stronger,  I  mounted  with  my  fellow-traveler 
in  the  afternoon  in  order  to  make  a  small  excursion  along  the 
southern  shore  of  the  river,  in  a  westerly  direction.  The  river, 
in  general,  runs  from  west  to  east ;  but  here,  above  the  town,  it 
makes  considerable  windings,  and  the  shore  is  not  so  high  as  at 
the  ford.  The  vegetation  was  beautiful ;  large  tamarind-trees 
forming  a  dense  shade  above,  while  the  ground  was  covered  with 
a  great  variety  of  plants  and  herbs  just  in  flower.  On  the  low 
promontories  of  the  shore  were  small  fishing  villages,  consisting 
of  rather  low  and  light  huts  made  of  mats,  and  surrounded  by 
poles  for  drying  the  fish,  a  great  many  of  which,  principally  of 
the  mullet  kind,  were  just  suspended  for  that  purpose.  Having 
enjoyed  the  aspect  of  the  quiet  river-scenery  for  some  time,  we 
returned  round  the  south  side  of  the  town.  The  ground  here 
is  hilly ;  but  I  think  the  hills,  though  at  present  covered  wdth 
verdure,  are  nothing  more  than  mounds  of  rubbish  formed  in  the 
course  of  time  round  the  town,  which  appears  to  have  been  for- 
merly of  greater  extent. 

Friday^  September  19M.  Overweg  and  I,  accompanied  by 
Khalef-Allah  and  a  guide,  made  an  excursion  down  the  river,  in 
order,  if  possible,  to  reach  its  mouth  ;  but  the  experiment  proved 
that  there  is  no  path  on  the  southern  shore,  the  track  following 
the  northern  bank ;  for  on  that  side,  not  far  from  the  mouth, 
lies  a  considerable  Kanembu  place  called  Boso,  though,  in  th( 


256 


TKAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


present  weak  state  of  the  Bornu  kingdom,  much  exposed  to  the 
incursions  of  the  Tawarek.  Having  penetrated  as  far  as  a  vil- 
lage, or  rather  a  walled  town,  named  Fatse,  the  walls  of  which 
are  in  a  decayed  state,  and  the  population  reduced  to  a  dozen 
families,  we  were  obliged  to  give  up  our  intended  survey  of  tlie 
river.  As  for  myself,  I  was  scarcely  able  to  make  any  long  ex- 
cursion, for,  on  attempting  to  mount  my  horse  again,  I  fainted, 
and  fell  senseless  to  the  ground,  to  the  great  consternation  of 
my  companions,  who  felt  convinced  my  end  was  approaching. 
We  therefore  returned  to  our  encampment.  In  the  evening  I 
had  a  severe  attack  of  fever.* 

Saturday,  September  20th.  It  had  been  determined  the  day 
before  that  we  should  cross  the  river  to-day,  and  the  governor's 
permission  had  been  obtained ;  but,  as  the  vizier's  messenger 
had  not  yet  arrived,  we  decided  upon  waiting  another  day. 
Feeling  a  little  better,  I  made  a  rough  sketch  of  the  town,  with 
the  dum-palms  around  it,  and  prepared  myself,  as  well  as  I  was 
able,  for  the  fatiguing  march  before  me.  We  had  a  good  spec- 
imen to-day  of  the  set  of  robbers  and  freebooters  we  had  asso- 
ciated witli  in  order  to  carry  out  the  objects  of  the  mission.  The 
small  Tebu  caravan,  which  I  mentioned  above  as  having  arrived 
from  Kanem,  and  which  had  brought  the  news  that  the  people 
of  Waday  had  made  an  alliance  with  all  the  tribes  hostile  to  the 
Welad  Sliman,  in  order  to  destroy  the  latter,  had  not  been  al- 
lowed to  cross  the  river  until  to-day.  They  were  harmless  peo- 
ple, carrying  very  little  luggage  (chiefly  dates)  upon  a  small 
number  of  oxen ;  but  as  soon  as  they  had  crossed  our  compan- 
ions held  a  council,  and,  the  opinion  of  the  most  violent  having 
gained  the  upper  hand,  they  fell  upon  the  poor  Tebu,  or  Kreda, 
as  they  call  them,  and  took  away  all  their  dates  by  force.  The 
skins  were  then  divided ;  and  the  greater  part  of  them  had  al- 
ready been  consumed  or  carried  away,  when  an  old  Arab  ar- 
rived, and,  upbraiding  his  companions  with  their  mean  conduct, 

*  Mr.  Overweg,  at  a  later  period,  visited  the  town  of  Boso,  but  without  accu- 
rately surveying  the  line  of  the  river,  and  without  stating  exactly  the  character 
of  the  point  where  it  joins  the  lagoon,  except  that  the  river,  beyond  Fatse,  takes 
a  much  more  northerly  direction. 


CROSSING  THE  RIVER. 


257 


persuaded  them  to  collect  what  remained  or  that  could  be  found, 
and  restore  it  to  the  owners.  In  the  evening  the  vizier's  mes- 
senger arrived,  and  the  crossing  of  the  river  was  definitely  fixed 
for  the  next  day. 

Monday^  September  22d.  Kose  early  in  order  to  get  over  in 
time,  there  being  no  other  means  of  crossing  than  two  makara, 
each  consisting  of  three  yokes  of  calabashes.  The  camels,  as  is 
always  the  case,  being  the  most  difficult  to  manage,  had  to  cross 
first ;  and  after  much  trouble  and  many  narrow  escapes  (owing 
principally  to  the  unevenness  of  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  the 
water-channel  having  formed  a  deep  hollow — at  present  from 
ten  to  eleven  feet  deep — near  the  southern  shore,  while  in  the 
middle  the  bottom  rises  considerably,  leaving  a  depth  of  only 
six  or  seven  feet),  they  all  got  safely  over,  and  were  left  to  in- 
dulge in  the  foliage  of  the  beautiful  mimosas  which  embellish 
the  northern  border  of  the  river.  The  horses  followed  next, 
and,  lastly,  we  ourselves  with  the  luggage. 

About  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  found  myself  upon  the 
river  on  my  three-yoked  "  makara,"  gliding  through  the  stream 
in  a  rather  irregular  style  of  motion,  according  as  the  frail  ferry- 
boat was  drawn  or  pushed  by  the  two  black  swimmers  yoked 
to  it.  It  was  a  beautiful  day,  and  the  scenery  highly  interest- 
ing ;  but,  having  been  exposed  to  the  sun  aU  the  morning,  I 
was  glad  to  find  a  little  shade.  When  all  the  party  had  suc- 
cessively landed,  and  the  heat  of  the  day  had  abated,  Ave  loaded 
our  camels  and  commenced  our  march.  We  were  now  left  en- 
tirely to  the  security  and  protection  which  our  own  arms  might 
afford  us  ;  for  all  the  country  to  the  north  of  the  komadugu  has 
become  the  domain  of  freebooters,  and  though  nominally  Sheikh 
'Omar's  dominion  stretches  as  far  as  Beri,  and  even  beyond 
that  place,  nevertheless  his  name  is  not  respected  here,  except 
where  supported  by  arms. 

The  country  through  which  we  were  passing  bore  the  same 
character  as  that  for  miles  round  the  capital — a  very  stiff,  black 
soil,  clothed  with  short  grass,  and  a  few  trees  far  between. 
Having  encountered  a  flock  of  sheep,  our  friends  gave  chase,  and 
after  they  had  laid  hold  of  three  fat  rams,  we  decided  to  encamp. 

Vol.  II.— H 


258 


travp:ls  in  afeica. 


Tuesday,  September  23cZ.  For  the  first  four  hours  of  our 
march  the  character  of  the  surrounding  country  remained  nearly 
the  same ;  it  then  opened,  and  became  better  cultivated ;  and 
soon  after  we  saw  the  clay  w^alls  of  Baruwa,  though  scarcely  to 
be  distinguished,  owing  to  the  high  mounds  of  rubbish  imbed- 
ding them  on  all  sides.  Near  the  southwest  gate  of  the  town 
the  road  leads  over  the  high  mound  (which  destroys  entirely 
the  protection  the  wall  might  otherwise  afford  to  the  inhabit- 
ants), and  lays  its  whole  interior  open  to  the  eyes  of  the  trav- 
eler. It  consists  of  closely-packed  huts,  generally  without  a 
court-yard,  but  sliaded  here  and  there  by  a  mimosa  or  kurna, 
and  affords  a  handsome  specimen  of  a  Central  African  dwelling- 
place.  The  inhabitants,  whose  want  of  energy  is  clearly  seen 
from  the  nature  of  the  mounds,  do  not  rely  upon  the  strength 
of  their  walls  ;  and,  to  the  disgrace  of  the  Sheikh  of  Bornu,  who 
receives  tribute  from  them,  and  places  a  governor  over  them, 
tlicy  likewise  pay  tribute  to  the  Tawarek.  They  belong  in 
general  to  the  Kanembu  tribe  ;  but  many  Y^dina,  or  Budduma, 
also  are  settled  in  the  town.  Their  principal  food  and  only  ar- 
ticle of  commerce  is  fish,  which  they  catch  in  great  quantities 
in  the  lake,  whose  nearest  creeks  are,  according  to  the  season, 
from  two  to  three  miles  distant,  and  from  which  they  are  not 
excluded,  like  the  inhabitants  of  Ngornu  and  other  places,  on 
account  of  their  friendly  relations  with  the  warlike  pirates  of 
the  lake.  As  for  corn,  they  have  a  very  scanty  supply,  and 
seem  not  to  employ  the  necessary  labor  to  produce  it,  perhaps 
on  account  of  the  insecure  state  of  the  country,  Vv^hich  does  not 
guarantee  them  the  harvest  they  have  sown.  Cotton  they  have 
none,  and  are  obliged  to  barter  their  fish  for  cotton  strips  or  ar- 
ticles of  dress.  Indeed,  gabaga,  or  cotton  strips,  and  kulgu, 
or  white  cotton  shirts,  are  the  best  articles  which  a  traveler,  who 
wants  to  procure  fish  for  his  desert  journey  by  way  of  Bilma 
(where  dry  fish  is  the  only  article  in  request),  can  take  with 
him. 

At  the  well  on  the  north  side  of  the  town,  which  does  not 
furnish  very  good  water,  the  horsemen  belonging  to  our  troop 
awaited  the  camels.    Only  a  few  scattered  hajilij  [Balanites 


VIEW  OF  THE  TSA'D. 


259 


jEgijpttacd)  and  stunted  talha-trees  spread  a  scanty  shade  over 
the  stubble-fields,  which  were  far  from  exhibiting  a  specimen  of 
diligent  cultivation  ;  and  I  was  very  glad  when,  having  taken  in 
a  small  supply  of  water,  w^e  were  again  in  motion.  We  soon  left 
the  scanty  vestiges  of  cultivation  behind  us,  and  some  bushes 
of  the  siwak  {Capparis  sodata)  began  to  enliven  the  country. 
At  eleven  o'clock,  having  mounted  a  low  range  of  sand-hills,  we 
obtained  a  first  view  of  the  Tsad,  or  rather  of  its  inundations. 
The  whole  country  now  began  to  be  clothed  with  siwak.  Hav- 
*  ing  kept  for  about  half  an  hour  along  the  elevated  sandy  level, 
we  descended,  and  followed  the  lower  road,  almost  hidden  by 
the  thickest  vegetation.  This  lower  road,  as  well  as  our  whole 
track  to  Ngegimi,  became  entirely  inundated  at  a  later  period 
(in  1854),  and  will  perhaps  never  more  be  trodden ;  in  conse- 
quence, when  I  came  this  way  in  1855,  we  were  obliged  to  make 
a  circuit,  keeping  along  the  sandy  level  nearer  to  the  site  of  the 
ancient  town  of  Wudi. 

Shortly  afterward  we  encamped,  where  the  underwood  had 
left  a  small  open  space,  at  the  eastern  foot  of  a  low  hill.  The 
prickly  jungle  was  here  so  dense  that  I  searched  a  long  time  in 
vain  for  a  bare  spot  to  lie  down  upon,  when,  to  my  great  satis- 
faction, I  found  Bu-Zed  clearing  me  a  place  with  his  axe.  The 
swampy  shore  of  the  lake  was  only  about  four  hundred  yards 
from  our  resting-place;  but  the  spot  was  not  well  chosen  for 
an  encampment,  and  it  was  found  necessary  to  place  several 
watches  during  the  night,  notwithstanding  which  a  skin  of  mine, 
full  of  water,  disappeared  from  the  stick  upon  which  it  was  sus- 
pended, and  the  Arabs  tried  to  persuade  me  that  a  hungry  hy- 
agna  had  carried  it  off ;  but  it  was  most  probable  that  one  of 
themselves  had  been  in  want  of  this  necessary  article  of  desert 
traveling. 

Wednesday,  September'  24:th.  We  continued  our  march 
through  the  luxuriant  prickly  underwood,  full  of  the  dung  and 
footsteps  of  the  elephant.  Here  and  there  the  cajyparis  had 
been  cut  away,  and  large  fire-places  were  to  be  seen  where  the 
roots  had  been  burned  to  ashes.  The  tripods,  of  which  sev- 
eral were  lying  about,  are  used  for  filtering  the  water  through 


260  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

these  ashes,  which  takes  from  them  the  salt  particles  which 
they  contain.  This  water  is  afterward  boiled,  and  thus  the  salt 
is  obtained.  This  salt  is  then  taken  to  Kukawa  by  the  Ka- 
nembu,  while  those  who  prepare  it  are  Biidduma. 

On  our  return  from  Kanem  we  met  large  numbers  of  this  pi- 
ratical set  of  islanders,  and  on  my  home  journey  in  1855, 1  saw 
them  in  the  full  activity  of  their  labors.  This  salt,  weak  and 
insipid  as  it  is,  is  at  least  of  a  better  quality  than  that  which 
the  people  in  Kotoko  prepare  from  neat-dung.  In  ]Miltu,  on  the 
Upper  Shari  or  Ba-Bus6,  salt  of  a  tolerable  quality  is  obtained 
from  a  peculiar  species  of  grass  growing  in  the  river.  The  Mus- 
gu,  as  we  shall  see,  prepare  this  necessary  article  (or,  at  least, 
something  like  it)  from  the  ashes  of  the  stalks  of  millet  and  In- 
dian corn. 

After  we  had  emerged  from  the  underwood  into  the  open 
country  we  passed  a  considerable  salt  manufactory,  consisting 
of  at  least  twenty  earthen  pots.  Large  triangular  lumps  of  salt 
were  lying  about,  which  are  shaped  in  moulds  made  of  clay. 
Several  people  were  busy  carrying  mud  from  an  inlet  of  the 
lake  which  was  close  at  hand,  in  order  to  make  new  moulds. 
Keeping  close  along  the  border  of  the  latter,  and  enjoying  the 
fresh  breeze  which  had  before  been  kept  from  us  by  the  forest, 
we  halted  early  in  the  afternoon.  A  small  Tebu  caravan  was 
also  encamped  here,  no  doubt  with  the  intention  of  passing  the 
night ;  but  they  did  not  like  the  neighborhood  of  our  friends, 
and,  loading  immediately,  started  off. 

Our  path  now  lay  through  fertile  pasture-grounds,  with  a  line 
of  underwood  to  our  left.  It  was  a  fine  cool  morning.  We 
passed  a  large  pool  of  fresh  water,  frequented  by  great  numbers 
of  water-fowl  of  various  species.  Overweg,  on  his  fine  and  taU, 
but  rather  heavy  and  unwieldy  charger,  made  an  unsuccessful 
attempt  to  overtake  a  pair  ofke[siY9L{A7itilopeArabica?  Aigo- 
cerus  ellvpsiprymnusf),  who  scampered  playfully  away  through 
the  fine  grassy  plain.  At  nine  o'clock  we  reached  the  far-famed 
place  Ngegimi,  and  were  greatly  disappointed  at  finding  an  open, 
poor-looking  village,  consisting  of  detached  conical  huts,  with- 
out the  least  comfort,  which,  even  in  these  light  structures,  may 


DESOLATE  COUNTRY. 


261 


well  be  attained  to  a  certain  degree.  The  hungry  inhabitants 
would  not  receive  any  thing  in  exchange  for  a  few  fowls  which 
we  wanted  to  buy,  except  grain,  of  which  we  ourselves,  in  these 
desolate  regions,  stood  too  much  in  need  to  have  given  it  away 
without  an  adequate  substitute. 

The  situation  of  this  place  is  very  unfavorable,  since  the  ruler 
of  Bornu  has  restricted  his  real  dominion  within  the  border  of 
the  komadugu,  and  the  poor  inhabitants  are  constantly  in  fear 
of  being  molested  by  a  ghazzia  of  the  Tawarek.  Indeed,  two 
years  later,  this  village  was  plundered  by  these  freebooting 
hordes ;  and  some  months  afterward,  in  the  year  1854,  the  re- 
mainder of  the  population,  who  had  not  been  carried  away  into 
captivity,  were  obliged,  by  the  high  floods  of  the  lagoon,  to  leave 
their  old  dwelling-place  altogether,  and  build  a  new  village  on 
the  slope  of  the  sand-hills,  where  I  found  it  at  the  end  of  May, 
1855.  As  for  Wudi  (a  large  place,  once  an  occasional  residence 
of  the  Bornu  kings)  and  Lari,  both  mentioned  by  Denham  and 
Clapperton,  they  have  long  been  deserted,  Wudi  having  been 
taken  and  ransacked  by  the  Tawarek  in  the  year  1838,  and  Lari 
a  little  later.  At  present  only  a  few  palm-trees  (said  to  yield  a 
kind  of  date  far  superior  to  the  little  black  Kanem  dates)  in  the 
sand-hills  about  eight  miles  S.W.  from  Ngegimi  indicate  the 
site  of  the  once  celebrated  Wudi.  Ngegimi  was  then  nominally 
under  the  control  of  Kashella  Hasen  or  Hassan. 

Plunged  into  sad  reflections  on  the  fate  of  this  once  splendid 
empire  of  Kanem,  and  the  continued  progress  of  the  Berber  race 
into  the  heart  of  Sudan,  I  hung  listlessly  upon  my  horse,  when, 
on  leaving  this  uncomfortable  dwelling-place,  we  took  our  course 
over  the  unbroken  plain,  once  no  doubt  the  bottom  of  the  lake, 
and  soon  to  become  once  more  a  part  of  it.  Sometimes  it  was 
dry  and  barren,  at  others  clothed  with  rich  verdure,  while  on 
our  left  it  was  bordered  by  a  range  of  sand-hills,  the  natural 
limit  of  the  lagoon.  At  a  little  before  noon  we  came  to  a  deep 
inlet  of  the  lake,  spreading  the  freshest  verdure  all  around  in 
this  now  desolate  country.  Having  watered  our  horses,  and 
taken  in  a  sufficient  supply  of  this  element  for  the  night,  we 
crossed  the  plain,  here  not  more  than  a  thousand  yards  wide, 


262 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


and  ascended  a  broad  promontory  of  the  range  of  sand-hills, 
where  we  encamped. 

It  was  a  delightful  spot,  where  the  heart  might  have  expand- 
ed in  the  enjoyment  of  freedom.  In  front  of  us  to  the  south- 
east, the  swampy  lands  of  the  lagoon,  one  immense  rice-field  (as 
it  ought  to  be  at  least),  spread  out  to  the  borders  of  the  hori- 
zon;  but  no  "white  water,"  or  open  sea,  was  to  be  seen — not 
even  as  much  as  connected  channels — nothing  but  one  immense 
swampy  flat,  stretching  out  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  To 
the  south  the  green  pasturages,  along  which  we  had  come,  ex- 
tended far  beyond  Ngegimi.  It  was  a  picture  of  one  of  the 
most  fertile  spots  of  the  earth  doomed  to  desolation.  But  there 
was  a  feeble  spark  of  hope  in  me  that  it  would  not  always  be 
so,  and  I  flattered  myself  that  my  labors  in  these  new  regions 
might  contribute  to  sow  here  the  first  germs  of  a  new  life,  a  new 
activity. 

My  companions  and  friends  did  not  seem  to  share  in  my  feel- 
ings ;  for,  wholly  intent  upon  mischief,  they  had  been  roving 
about,  and  having  fallen  in  with  some  Kanembii  cattle-breeders, 
they  had  plundered  them  not  only  of  their  milk,  but  also  of  the 
vessels  which  contained  it ;  and  in  the  afternoon  some  respect- 
able old  men  applied  to  Mr.  Overweg  and  myself,  the  only  just 
people  they  were  sure  to  find  among  this  wild  band  of  lawless 
robbers,  for  redress,  and  we  were  happy  not  only  to  restore  to 
them  their  vessels,  but  also  to  make  them  a  few  small  presents. 

Thursday^  September  25th,  Descending  from  our  lofty  en- 
campment, we  continued  our  march  in  the  narrow  grassy  plain, 
between  -the  sand-hills  to  the  north,  and  another  blue  inlet  of  the 
lake  to  the  south,  where  the  rich  pasture-grounds  extended  fur- 
ther into  the  lake. 

It  was  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  we  had  the 
good  fortune  to  enjoy  one  of  the  most  interesting  scenes  which 
these  regions  can  possibly  aflbrd.  Far  to  our  right  was  a  whole 
herd  of  elephants,  arranged  in  regular  array  like  an  army  of 
rational  beings,  slowly  proceeding  to  the  water.  In  front  ap- 
peared the  males,  as  was  evident  from  their  size,  in  regular 
order ;  at  a  little  distance  followed  the  young  ones ;  in  a  third 


OUTRAGES  BY  THE  WELA'D  SLIMA'N. 


265 


line  were  the  females ;  and  the  whole  were  brought  up  by  five 
males  of  immense  size.  The  latter  (though  we  were  at  some 
distance,  and  proceeding  quietly  along)  took  notice  of  us,  and 
some  were  seen  throwing  dust  in  the  air ;  but  we  did  not  disturb 
them.    There  were  altogether  ninety-six. 

The  fine  fresh  pasture-grounds  some  time  afterward  gave  way 
to  a  drier  plain,  covered  with  a  species  of  heath,  and  the  coun- 
try presented  rather  a  melancholy  appearance.  A  little  before 
ten  o'clock  we  came  to  a  large  herd  of  cattle  or  "beri,"  collect- 
ed round  a  small  hamlet  or  dawar,  consisting  of  light,  high-top- 
ped corn-stalks,  fastened  together  by  three  rings  of  straw,  and 
lightly  plastered  with  a  little  cow-dung.  But,  although  we  ob- 
tained some  milk,  some  of  our  friends,  not  content  with  filling 
their  stomachs,  laid  hold  of  a  fine  pony  and  carried  it  off,  under 
the  pretext  that  it  belonged  to  the  Budduma,  who,  as  they  as- 
serted, were  enemies  of  the  sheikh ;  and  when  we  had  started 
again,  and  encountered  a  small  caravan  of  oxen  laden  with  dates, 
not  only  were  all  the  skins  containing  the  dates  taken,  but  an- 
other ruffian  laid  hold  of  one  of  the  beasts  of  burden  and  drag- 
ged it  away  with  him,  notwithstanding  the  lamentations  of  its 
owner.  And  yet  the  people  who  were  thus  treated  were  sub- 
jects of  the  King  of  Bornu,  and  the  Welad  Sliman  were  his  pro- 
fessed friends  and  hirelings. 

Fine  fresh  pasture-grounds,  and  melancholy  tracts  clothed 
with  nothing  but  heath,  succeeded  each  other,  while  not  a  sin- 
gle tree  broke  the  monotony  of  the  level  country.  At  length 
we  encamped  near  a  deserted  village  of  cattle-breeders,  consist- 
ing of  about  twenty  small,  conical  huts,  built  in  the  form  of  a 
large  circle.  We  had  scarcely  begun  to  make  ourselves  com- 
fortable, when  a  noisy  quarrel  arose  about  the  dates  so  unjustly 
taken  from  their  owners,  and  some  of  the  Arabs  concerned  in 
the  dispute  came  to  my  tent  in  order  to  have  their  claims  set- 
tled, when  the  whole  particulars  of  the  shameless  robberies 
committed  in  the  course  of  the  day  came  under  my  notice,  and 
especially  that  of  the  horse.  But  this  was  a  delicate  subject, 
and  one  that  excited  the  angry  passions  of  those  concerned — so 
much  so  that  one  of  them,  named  Ibrahim,  came  running  with 


266 


TRAVELS  IX  APllICA. 


liis  loaded  gun  straight  into  my  tent,  threatening  to  blow  out 
the  brains  of  any  body  who  spoke  of  injustice  or  robbery.  As 
for  Bakher  and  'Abd  e'  Rahman,  who  were  the  actual  possess- 
ors of  the  horse,  they  were  about  to  leave  by  themselv^es. 

The  violent  proceedings  of  our  protectors  had  spread  such 
terror  throughout  these  almost  desolate  regions,  that  in  the  even- 
ing, solely  from  fear,  two  oxen  and  a  quantity  of  milk  were  sent 
from  a  neighboring  beri  as  presents.  The  night  was  fresh,  but 
not  cold,  and  a  very  heavy  dew  fell. 

Friday^  Sejptemher  2Qth.  Reached  about  noon  the  first  large 
cluster  of  huts  of  the  village  of  Beri,  after  having  followed  a 
numerous  and  fine  herd  of  cattle  (one  of  the  finest  I  saw  in  the 
interior  of  the  continent)  for  a  while,  with  the  urgent  desire  of 
obtaining  a  drink  of  fresh  milk,  and  then  crossed  a  tolerably 
deep  inlet  of  the  lagoon.  Here  we  encamped  on  a  terribly  hot, 
sandy  spot,  without  any  shade,  some  two  hundred  yards  from 
the  village,  which  stretches  in  a  long  line  from  north  to  south. 

Beri  is  a  place  of  importance,  at  least  since  the  date  of  the 
greatest  splendor  of  the  Bornu  kingdom,  and  is  frequently  men- 
tioned in  the  history  of  the  great  King  Edris  Alawoma,  written 
during  his  lifetime  by  his  chief  Imam  Ahmed.  Its  situation  is 
such  as  to  render  it  of  great  importance  as  a  station ;  for  here 
the  army  proceeding  from  Bornu  to  the  interior  of  Kanem  leaves 
the  shore  of  the  lagoon,  and  has  generally  to  make  a  long  stay, 
in  order  to  regain  strength  for  the  ensuing  march,  and  to  supply 
itself  with  fresh  provisions.  Till  a  fcAV  years  previously,  a  Bor- 
nu governor  of  the  name  of  Shitima  Aba  had  been  residing 
here,  but  he  had  given  up  the  place,  and  preferred  living  in  the 
capital. 

But  here  I  must  add  that  there  are  two  places  called  Beri, 
distant  from  each  other  a  few  miles,  the  one  where  we  were  en- 
camped being  called  Beri-kura,  the  Great  Beri,  the  other  with 
the  surname  "  fute"  (the  western),  from  its  more  westerly  situ- 
ation ;  but  it  is  at  present  greatly  reduced,  and  we  had  left  it 
unobserved  on  one  side.  The  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Beri  are  Kanembu,  and  belong  to  the  clan  of  the  Sugurtu,  a 
large  division  of  that  tribe,  which,  however,  in  the  last  struggle 


FRESH-WATER  LAKES  AND  NATRON. 


267 


of  the  old  dynasty,  suffered  greatly.  Besides  these,  a  good 
many  Budduina  are  settled  here. 

I  was  very  glad  when,  after  another  severe  quarrel,  the  young 
horse  was  at  length  given  up  by  the  robbers,  as  likewise  the 
beast  of  burden.  One  of  the  oxen  sent  yesterday  as  a  present 
was  slaughtered  to-day,  and  divided  among  the  whole  band. 
As  for  myself,  I  made  merry  on  a  little  fresh  milk  ;  for  though 
the  people  are,  and  appear  to  have  been  from  their  birth  (for 
''beri''  means  cattle-herd),  in  possession  of  numerous  herds  of 
cattle,  nevertheless,  in  the  village,  as  is  often  the  case,  there  is 
very  little  milk — only  just  as  much  as  is  required  for  the  use 
of  the  owners  themselves — the  cattle  being  at  a  great  distance. 
Very  little  can  be  obtained  here,  and  corn  is  scarcely  cultivated, 
owing  to  the  insecure  and  desperate  state  of  the  country.  The 
inhabitants  are  in  continual  intercourse  with  the  Yedina,  that 
section  of  the  Kotoko  who  inhabit  the  islands  in  the  lake,  and 
who  are  generally  called  Budduma.  But  of  course  the  distance 
of  their  village  from  the  lagoon  varies  considerably,  and  the 
nearest  branch  or  inlet  at  present  was  that  which  we  had  cross- 
ed in  the  morning,  from  which  the  inhabitants  supplied  them- 
selves with  water.  The  want  of  firewood  is  greatly  felt ; 
scarcely  a  single  tree  is  to  be  met  with  in  the  neighborhood.* 

Saturday^  September  21th.  We  now  left  the  shores  of  the 
lake,  ascending  a  little,  but  had  a  difficult  march  this  morning 
in  order  to  avoid  the  many  small  boggy  inlets  and  natron-la- 
goons wliich  are  formed  by  the  lake,  and  wind  along  through 
the  sand-hills.  With  regard  to  these  natron-lakes,  which,  after 
the  report  of  Major  Denham,  have  led  to  many  erroneous  con- 
jectures respecting  Lake  Tsad,  I  have  to  observe  that  the  natron 
or  soda  is  not  originally  contained  in  the  water,  but  in  the 
ground,  and  tliat  all  the  water  of  Lake  Tsad  is  fresh ;  but  when 
a  small  quantity  of  water,  after  the  lake  has  retired  from  the 
highest  point  of  its  inundation,  remains  in  a  basin  the  soil  of 

*  I  will  here  add  the  stations  of  another  route  between  Ngegimi  and  Ben'. 
1st  day :  sleep  in  Ngubo,  an  open  village  inhabited  by  Kiiri ;  arrive  before  heat 
of  day.  2d.  Tabunte,  the  first  place  in  Kanem.  3d.  Beri.  Some  people  going 
from  Ngegimi  to  Ben  sleep  the  first  night  in  Turra,  second  night  in  Balaya. 


268 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


which  is  filled  with  soda,  the  water  of  course  becomes  impreg- 
nated with  this  quality.  The  consequence  is,  that  there  are 
many  basins  round  Lake  Tsad  which,  according  to  the  season, 
are  either  fresh,  or  brackish  ;  for  the  soda  contained  in  the  ground 
has  very  little  effect  so  long  as  the  basin  is  deep,  and  does  not 
bcG-in  to  make  itself  felt  till  the  water  becomes  shallow.  Of 

o 

this  same  character  seems  to  be  Lake  Boro  in  Kanem,  which  I 
shall  mention  hereafter.  I  here  remind  the  reader  of  what  I 
have  stated  above  with  regard  to  the  importance  of  the  natron- 
trade  between  Bomu  and  Nupe  or  Nyffi. 

Having  no  guide — for  who  would  willingly  trust  himself  in 
the  hands  of  such  lawless  robbers  as  our  companions  ? — we 
found  it  rather  difficult  work  to  get  out  of  this  labyrinth  of  la- 
goons ;  and  after  a  few  miles  we  came  to  a  narrow  but  very 
boggy  inlet,  which  it  was  thought  necessary  to  cross. 

Eiding  a  lively  horse,  an  excellent  "  sayar,"  I  was  rather  in 
advance,  and  had  only  three  horsemen  in  front  of  me ;  on  com- 
ing to  the  bog,  the  nature  of  which  it  was  easy  to  perceive,  we 
rode  one  after  the  other,  Khalef-AUah  being  in  front  of  me. 
The  first  horseman  went  in,  made  a  few  steps,  and  then  came 
down  ;  but  he  got  his  horse  upon  his  legs  again,  went  on,  and 
again  sunk  into  the  bog,  but,  being  near  the  firm  ground,  got 
over  tolerably  well.  As  soon  as  those  who  were  before  me  saw 
this,  they  stopped  their  horses  short,  and  wanted  to  return,  press- 
ing my  horse  upon  his  side,  who,  being  annoyed  by  the  morass, 
made  a  vacillating  movement  forward,  and  fell  upon  his  knees ; 
upon  being  raised  he  made  some  wild  exertions  to  get  through, 
but  after  two  or  three  ineffectual  attempts  he  again  fell  on  his 
side,  and  I  under  him.  The  morass  here  was  about  four  feet 
deep,  and  I  received  several  smart  blows  from  the  fore  legs  of 
my  horse  upon  the  head  and  shoulders  before  I  was  fortunate 
enough  to  extricate  myself  from  this  interesting  situation.  Be- 
ing clad  in  a  white  bernus  over  a  Nyffi  tobe,  with  a  pair  of  pis- 
tols in  my  belt,  my  appearance  may  be  easily  conceived  when, 
after  a  great  deal  of  labor,  I  succeeded  in  reaching  firm  ground. 
I  had  still  the  difficult  task  of  extricating  my  horse,  which,  after 
wild  and  desperate  exertions,  lay  motionless  in  the  bog.    I  had 


AN  INTERESTING  SPOT. 


269 


on  this  occasion  a  good  specimen  of  the  assistance  we  were  like- 
ly to  receive  from  our  companions  in  cases  of  difficulty,  for  they 
were  looking  silently  on  without  affording  me  any  aid.  Mr. 
Overweg  was  some  distance  behind,  and,  when  he  came  up,  was 
enabled  to  supply  me  with  dry  clothing. 

The  spot  would  have  been  quite  interesting  but  for  this  acci- 
dent, as  there  was  here,  favored  by  the  rich  soil  and  this  very 
morass,  a  beautiful  plantation  of  red  ngaberi,  or  sorghum,  of  that 
peculiar  kind  called  mosoga,  or  rather  masakwa,  in  the  highest 
state  of  exuberance,  and  just  beginning  to  ripen ;  it  was  the 
finest  specimen  I  saw  on  my  whole  journey.  Fortunately,  the 
sun  was  moderately  warm,  as  I  began  to  feel  very  chilly  after 
my  involuntary  bath.  We  continued  our  march  at  first  along 
another  hollow  containing  fresh  water,  and  then,  ascending  a 
little,  came  upon  a  sandy  level  well  clothed  with  herbage  and 
trees  of  the  mimosa  kind.  Here  we  seemed  to  be  entirely  out 
of  reach  of  the  lake ;  and  great  was  our  astonishment  when,  a 
little  after  nine  o'clock,  we  came  close  upon  another  fine  sheet 
of  fresh  blue  water.  It  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  me,  in  the 
state  I  was  in,  that  we  encamped  at  so  early  an  hour  on  its 
northern  border,  where  some  serrak  afforded  a  tolerable  shade. 
I  was  busy  drying  my  clothes,  arms,  saddle-cloths,  and  journals, 
when  there  appeared  certain  indications  of  an  approaching  storm ; 
and  in  order  to  avoid  being  wetted  twice  in  the  same  day,  I  got 
my  tent  pitched.  After  a  furious  gale  the  rain  poured  down, 
and  about  a  dozen  of  my  companions  took  refuge  in  my  small, 
frail  dwelling ;  but  all  were  not  so  fortunate  as  to  escape  a  wet- 
ting, for  the  rain,  being  very  heavy,  came  in  at  the  door.  The 
storm  lasted  more  than  an  hour;  and  every  thing,  including 
horses  and  camels,  being  thoroughly  soaked,  it  was  decided  to 
remain  here  for  the  night. 

Sunday,  September  2Sth.  For  some  reason  or  other,  but 
chiefly  in  order  to  slaughter  the  other  ox,  divide  it,  and  cut  it 
up  into  "  gedid,"  we  remained  here  the  whole  morning ;  and  the 
sun  had  long  passed  into  zawal  (past  noon)  when  we  started 
through  the  sandy  and  slightly  undulating  country,  full  of  herb- 
age, principally  of  the  plant  called  "  nesi,"  besides  bu-rekkeba 


270 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


or  Avoia  Forskalii^  the  bur-feathered  prickle  Pennisetum  dis- 
tichum,  and  various  kinds  of  mimosa,  chiefly  consisting  of  the 
talha  and  um  el  barka  [Mimosa  Nilotica).  Our  companions 
found  several  ostrich-eggs,  and  met  a  large  troop  of  gazelles. 
The  country  then  became  more  thickly  wooded,  and,  where  we 
encamped  for  the  night,  presented  a  very  interesting  character ; 
but  the  danger  from  wild  beasts  was  considerable,  and  the  roar 
of  a  lion  was  heard  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  night. 

Monday^  Sejptemher  l^th.  Started  early :  the  character  of  the 
country  continued  the  same  as  yesterday,  and  presented  beauti- 
ful specimens  of  the  mimosa,  here  breaking  down  from  age,  at 
another  place  interwoven  with  creepers,  one  species  of  which 
produces  the  red,  juicy  fruit  called  fito"  by  the  Kanuri,  and 
has  been  mentioned  by  me  before.  It  was  nearly  eight  o'clock 
when,  proceeding  in  groups,  two  of  our  horsemen,  on  passing- 
near  a  very  large  and  thick  gherret,  suddenly  halted,  and  with 
loud  cries  hastened  back  to  us.  We  approached  the  spot,  and 
saw  a  very  large  snake  hanging  in  a  threatening  attitude  from 
the  branches  of  the  tree :  on  seeing  us  it  tried  to  hide  itself ; 
but  after  firing  several  balls,  it  fell  down,  and  we  cut  off  its 
head.  It  measured  18  feet  7  inches  in  length,  and  at  the  thick- 
est part  5  inches  in  diameter,  and  was  of  a  beautifully  varie- 
gated color.  Two  natives,  who  had  attached  themselves  to  our 
troop  the  day  before,  cut  it  open  and  took  out  the  fat,  which  they 
said  was  excellent. 

Tlie  ride  was  truly  interesting  ;  but  by  degrees  it  became  too 
much  for  me,  and  after  seven  hours'  march  I  was  so  utterly 
exhausted  as  to  be  obliged  to  halt  and  lie  down.  Most  of  the 
Arabs  remained  with  us  ;  others,  with  'Ali  ben  'Aisa,  went  on 
to  the  well.  When  we  pursued  our  march  in  the  afternoon 
the  country  for  the  first  three  hours  was  more  level,  but  then 
became  very  hilly ;  and  at  five  o'clock  we  ascended  a  consider- 
able elevation  to  our  left,  the  highest  point  in  the  whole  coun- 
try, but  perhaps  not  more  than  600  or  700  feet  above  the  lev- 
el of  the  Tsad.  From  here  we  crossed  two  very  pretty  val- 
leys or  dells,  especially  the  second  one,  where  there  were  very 
curious  hilly  projections  of  a  calcareous  stone.    But  these  val- 


LIONS.— LOSE  THE  TRACK. 


271 


leys  were  very  poor  indeed  in  comparison  with  the  valley  or 
henderi  Foyo,  situated  at  some  distance  from  tlie  well  where 
we  encamped  for  the  night ;  for  its  bottom  presented  one  unin- 
terrupted mass  of  vegetation,  impenetrable  in  many  spots.  Here 
the  botanist  might  be  sure  to  find  some  new  species,  althougli 
the  principal  trees  were  the  kiirna  ( Cornui)^  serrakh,  um  el  bar- 
ka,  or  Mimosa  Nilotica^  hajilij,  or  Balanites,  and  the  talha,  21. 
ferrxtginea,  but  all  interwoven  with  creepers,  and  offering  the 
most  delightful  shade. 

These  valleys,  which  afford  the  only  watering-places,  must, 
of  course,  be  very  dangerous  during  the  night  on  account  of  the 
wild  beasts,  principally  lions,  of  which  there  are  great  numbers 
hereabouts.  Here  our  companions  received  a  messenger  from 
Ghet,  the  young  chief  of  the  Welad  Sliman. 

Tuesday,  /Sejptemhe?'  30t/i.  We  remained  in  the  forenoon  and 
during  the  heat  of  the  day  in  our  encampment.  While  stretch- 
ed out  in  the  shade  of  a  fine  mimosa,  I  obtained  some  valuable 
information  regarding  the  various  tribes  dwelling  in  Kanem, 
and  the  districts  of  their  settlements.  But  it  will  be  better,  in- 
stead of  inserting  it  here,  to  collect  all  the  information  I  received 
at  different  times  into  one  general  account,  which  shall  be  given 
in  the  Appendix. 

In  the  afternoon  the  camels  and  the  heavier  portion  of  the 
troop  were  allowed  to  start  in  advance,  and  the  horsemen  fol- 
lowed about  half  an  hour  afterward,  after  having  watered  the 
horses  ;  but,  instead  of  taking  care  to  follow  the  footsteps  of  the 
camels,  in  a  wild  country  where  there  was  no  regular  path,  they 
rode  on  negligently,  and  soon  became  aware  that  they  had  miss- 
ed the  track.  There  now  began  a  very  disorderly  riding  in  all 
directions.  This  fatigued  me  greatly,  for  nothing  is  so  vexing 
to  a  weak  man  as  to  ramble  about  without  knowing  when  he  is 
likely  to  reach  the  place  of  repose  so  much  looked  for.  After 
sending  scout  after  scout,  we  at  length  found  the  track,  and 
reached  our  men  in  the  dark. 

Wednesday,  October  1st,  Having  set  out  early,  after  nearly 
two  hours'  ride  we  were  met  by  a  single  horseman  coming  to- 
ward us  from  the  encampment  of  the  Welad  Sliman,  and  bid- 


272 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


ding  lis  welcome  to  their  wild  country.  They  kept  starting  up 
from  the  thicket  on  our  right  and  left,  firing  their  muskets  and 
saluting  us  with  their  usual  war-cry,  "ya  riyab,  ya  riyab." 
Having  thus  advanced  about  half  an  hour,  we  came  to  a  halt  in 
order  to  receive  in  a  more  solemn  form  the  waflike  compliments 
of  a  larger  troop  of  horsemen,  led  on  by  a  person  of  some  im- 
portance. 

The  dust  raised  by  the  horsemen  having  subsided  a  little, 
and  the  country  being  clearer  of  wood,  we  now  saw  before  us 
the  whole  cavalry  of  the  Welad  Sliman  drawn  up  in  a  line  in 
their  best  attire,  their  chief  Ghet,  the  son  of  Sef  el  Nasr  ben 
Ghet,  and  his  uncle  'Omar,  the  son  of  Ghet,  and  brother  of  Mbd 
el  Jelil,  in  the  midst  of  them.  This  stately  reception,  not  hav- 
ing been  anticipated  by  Overweg  and  myself,  made  a  great  im- 
pression upon  us;  but  we  were  not  left  to  gaze  long,  but  were 
desired  by  our  Arab  companions  to  ride  in  advance  of  the  line 
in  compliment  to  the  chiefs.  We  accordingly  put  our  steeds 
into  a  gallop,  and,  riding  straight  up  to  our  new  friends,  saluted 
them  with  our  pistols.  Having  answered  our  compliments, 
and  bidding  us  welcome  to  their  wild  abode,  the  young  Ghet 
galloping  along  at  the  head  of  his  squadrons,  his  sword  drawn, 
and  with  the  continuous  cry  "ya  riyab,  ya  riyab,"  they  led  us 
to  the  encampment,  and  we  had  a  place  shown  to  us  where  we 
might  pitch  our  tents. 


THE  HORDE  OF  THE  WELA'D  SLIMA'N. 


273 


/ 

CHAPTER  XL. 

THE  HOEDE  OF  THE  WELaD  SLIMaN. 

We  had  now  joined  our  fate  with  that  of  this  band  of  rob- 
bers, who,  in  consequence  of  their  reckless  habits,  having  been 
driven  from  their  original  dwelling-places  in  the  Syrtis,*  after  a 
great  variety  of  events,  have  at  length  established  themselves  in 
this  border  region  between  the  desert  and  the  fertile  regions  of 
Negroland,  under  the  guidance  of  Mohammed,  the  son  of  'Abd 
el  Jelil,  on  the  ruins  of  the  old  kingdom  of  Kanem,  very  much 
in  the  same  way  as  in  the  west  the  Welad  Ammer  (Ludamar) 
have  established  themselves  on  the  ruins  of  the  empire  of  Melle. 
At  that  time  they  mustered  a  considerable  force,and,  being  join- 
ed by  a  great  many  adventurers  from  all  the  Arab  tribes  from 
the  Rif  as  far  as  Fezzan,  were  able  to  bring  into  the  field  from 
900  to  1000  horsemen.  They  then  turned  their  attention  to- 
ward our  friends  the  Kel-owi,  and  began  to  seize  upon  their 
camels,  which  came  to  Bilma  for  the  salt-trade ;  these,  as  the 
reader  has  seen  from  my  previous  account,  are  always  proceed- 
ing in  large  caravans ;  but  it  is  almost  impossible  to  give  im- 
plicit credit  to  the  statement  which  was  made  to  us  by  several 
individuals,  that  the  Welad  Sliman  had  taken  from  the  Tawa- 
rek  more  than  30,000  camels  in  the  course  of  two  or  three 
years. 

If  they  had  continued  in  this  way  for  a  short  time,  they 
would  have  brought  about  an  immense  revolution  in  the  whole 
of  Central  Africa ;  for  the  Kel-owi  would,  of  course,  not  have 
been  able  to  provide  Hausa  with  salt  after  having  lost  their 
camels,  and  thus,  having  no  salt  for  bartering,  would  have  re- 
mained without  the  most  necessary  articles  of  subsistence  ;  they 

*  I  will  only  refer  to  the  animated  description  which  Captain  Lyon  (Narra- 
tive, p.  54)  gives  of  the  former  power  of  this  tribe. 

Vol.  II.— S 


274 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


would  accordingly  have  been  obliged  either  to  starve,  or  to  em- 
igrate into  and  take  possession  by  force  of  the  more  fertile  dis- 
tricts of  Sudan.  But,  before  they  were  driven  to  this  extreme, 
they  made  one  energetic  effort  against  their  enemies,  and  suc- 
ceeded ;  for,  having  summoned  the  contingents  of  all  the  differ- 
ent tribes  inhabiting  Air  or  A^sben,  they  collected  a  host  of  at 
least  7000  men,  chiefly  mounted  on  camels,  but  comprising  also 
a  considerable  number  of  horsemen,  and  proceeded  to  attack  the 
lion  in  his  den  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1850. 

I  am  almost  inclined  to  suspect  that  the  people  of  Bornu  had 
a  hand  in  this  affair ;  at  least,  the  existence  of  such  a  warlike 
and  restless  horde  of  men,  and  mustering  considerable  forces, 
as  the  Welad  Sliman  were  then,  under  the  guidance  of  ]\Ioham- 
med,  and  in  such  a  neighborhood,  could  not  be  wholly  indiffer- 
ent to  any  ruler  of  Bornu  possessed  of  prudence  and  foresight. 
Of  course,  since  its  power  had  decreased  to  a  such  a  degree  that 
it  could  not  of  itself  make  the  necessary  resistance  against  the 
daily  encroachments  of  the  Tawarek,  it  was  of  great  service  to 
Bornu  to  have  such  a  strong  and  energetic  auxiliary  to  keep 
them  down.  But,  be  this  as  it  may,  the  Arabs  left  their  very 
strong  intrenchments  at  Keskawa  (which,  at  the  first  news  of 
the  intended  expedition,  they  had  formed  on  the  border  of  the 
Tsad,  and  which  the  Tawarek  themselves  confessed  to  me  they 
would  never  have  been  able  to  conquer),  and  separated,  not 
thinking  that  their  enemies  were  able  to  carry  out  their  inten- 
tion ;  for  all  those  tribes  which  had  come  to  join  them,  as  the 
Gedadefa,  the  Ferjan,  the  Urfilla,  the  Ftaim,  Swasi,  Temama, 
and  Dhohob,  after  having  enriched  themselves  with  the  spoils 
of  the  Tawarek,  were  anxious  to  carry  away  their  booty  in 
safety,  and  proceeded  on  their  home-journey  by  way  of  Kuffara. 
They  were  just  encamped  in  the  Wadi  'Alala,  where  my  read- 
ers will  soon  have  to  accompany  me,  when  a  scout  brought  the 
news  that  a  very  large  host  of  the  Tawarek  was  close  at  hand ; 
but  they  say  that  his  report  did  not  find  credit,  and  that  on  this 
account  the  Arabs  had  no  time  to  make  any  preparations,  but 
were  all  on  a  sudden  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  the  numerous 
host  of  their  enemy.    It  is,  moreover,  to  be  understood  that  the 


THE  WELA  D  SLIMA'N. 


275 


greater  part  of  this  band  were  merely  armed  with  guns,  which 
are  very  useful  in  a  skirmish  of  horsemen,  who  can  retreat  after 
having  fired  them  off,  but  of  very  little  use  in  close  combat ; 
few  of  them  were  armed  with  pistols,  and  still  fewer  with  swords. 
But  the  Kel-owi,  in  addition  to  their  numbers,  had  also  the  ad- 
vantage of  superior  arms,  having  spear,  sword,  and  dagger,  even 
if  we  do  not  take  into  account  their  muskets,  which  they  rarely 
know  how  to  use.  The  consequence  was,  that  the  Arabs,  after 
having  killed  a  small  number  of  their  enemies  in  the  foremost 
lines,  were  soon  overpowered  and  massacred,  not  half  of  them 
succeeding  in  making  their  escape.  Their  chief,  Mohammed 
himself,  made  his  way  through  the  host  very  severely  wound- 
ed, and  was  slain,  according  to  report,  shortly  after  by  a  Tebu 
woman  who  recognized  him.  S'aid,  the  m'ost  valiant  of  all  the 
Welad  Sliman,  but  also  the  most  violent,  was  killed  on  the  spot, 
together  with  the  bravest  champions  of  the  little  horde ;  and  a 
very  considerable  booty  was  made  by  the  Tawarek,  not  only  in 
camels  and  slaves,  but  also  in  silver,  the  chiefs  having  amassed 
a  great  deal  of  property.  Thus  the  flower  of  this  troop  was 
destroyed,  and  only  the  least  brave  and  youngest  were  left. 

The  Vizier  of  Bornu  then  took  the  young  man,  to  whom  very 
little  power  and  property  were  left,  under  his  special  protection, 
entering  with  him  and  the  remaining  part  of  the  tribe  into  a 
contract  to  the  effect  that  he  would  furnish  them  with  horses 
and  muskets,  as  far  as  they  should  stand  in  need  of  them,  on 
condition  of  their  delivering  to  him  a  certain  share  of  their 
booty  in  every  expedition.  Of  course,  such  a  troop  of  swift 
horsemen,  armed  with  muskets,  if  kept  in  strict  subjection  and 
subordination,  might  have  proved  exceedingly  useful  on  the 
northern  borders  of  Bornu,  on  the  one  side  as  a  check  upon  the 
Tawarek,  on  the  other  upon  Waday.  But  the  great  difficulty, 
which  the  vizier  appears  not  to  have  overcome,  was  to  subject 
tlie  predatory  excursions  of  such  a  set  of  people  to  some  sort 
of  political  rule. 

With  this  view,  he  sent  the  young  chief,  who  was  scarcely 
more  than  twenty  years  of  age,  to  Kanem  with  all  that  were 
left  of  the  Welad  Sliman,  keeping  back  in  Kukuwa,  as  hostages 


276 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


for  his  proceedings,  his  mother,  and  the  wives  and  little  children 
of  some  of  the  principal  men.  But  from  the  beginning  there 
was  a  strong  party  against  the  young  chief,  who  had  not  yet 
achieved  any  exploit,  and  whose  sole  merit  consisted  in  his 
being  the  nearest  relation  of  'Abd  el  Jelil.  'Omar,  his  uncle, 
who  from  his  youth  had  given  himself  up  to  a  life  of  devotion, 
and  was  called  a  Merabet,  had  a  considerable  party ;  and  there 
were,  besides,  several  men  who  thought  themselves  of  as  much 
importance  as  their  chief.  In  the  absence  of  individual  authority 
in  a  small  band  like  this,  which  only  numbered  250  horsemen, 
no  great  results  could  be  produced.  All  the  tribes  settled  in 
Kanem  and  the  adjacent  districts  were  their  natural  enemies : 
the  Norea  or  Nuwarma  and  the  Shendakora  and  Medema,  the 
Sakerda  and  Karda  in  the  Bahar  el  Ghazal,  the  Bultu,  the 
Woghda,  the  Welad  Eashid,  the  Diggana  or  Daghana,  the 
Welad  Hamid,  the  Hommer  and  the  Mahamid  in  Khurma,  all 
were  bent  upon  their  destruction,  while  none  but  the  Lasal'a  or 
El  Asal'a  beyond  Karka,  and  the  Kanembu  tribe  of  the  Fugabu, 
were  attached  to  them.  All  the  tribes  around  call  them  only 
by  the  name  Minneminne  or  Menemene  ("  the  eaters"),  which 
name,  although  it  seems  to  liave  arisen  in  the  real  gluttony  of 
these  Arabs,  might  be  referred  appropriately  to  their  predatory 
habits.* 

In  the  course  of  these  broils  and  petty  intrigues  the  most 
respectable  among  them  took  to  commerce,  while  others  formed 
the  design  of  returning ;  and  when  I  left  Bornu  in  ^lay,  1855, 
the  rest  of  the  little  band  had  separated  into  two  distinct  camps, 
and  the  dissolution  or  ruin  of  their  community  was  fast  approach- 
ing. 

This  was  the  horde  with  which,  in  order  to  carry  out  the 
objects  of  our  mission  to  the  utmost  of  our  power,  Mr.  Overweg 
and  I  were  obliged  to  associate  our  fate ;  but,  unfortunately, 
we  were  unprovided  with  that  most  essential  article  for  exciting 
a  more  than  common  interest  in  ourselves  personally,  or  the 
objects  of  our  mission,  namely,  valuable  presents. 

While  our  people  pitched  our  tents,  Mr.  Overweg  and  I  went 

*  The  Tebu  call  them  Erdi  made,  "the  red  enemies,"  or  Yogode. 


INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SHEIKH. 


277 


to  pay  our  compliments  to  Sheikh  Ghet  and  'Omar,  and  to  have 
a  friendly  talk  with  them  before  we  proceeded  to  more  serious 
business.  They  seemed  to  expect  this  compliment,  having  lain 
down  in  the  shade  of  a  tree  at  a  short  distance  from  our  place 
of  encampment.  Ghet,  who  was  smoking  a  long  pipe,  was  a 
tolerably  handsome  young  man;  but  his  pronunciation  was 
very  defective,  and  he  had  nothing  very  commanding  in  his 
manner.  Having  exchanged  a  few  compliments  and  asked 
some  general  questions,  we  withdrew,  and  soon  after  received 
a  present  of  dates  and  milk.  A  great  many  of  the  Arabs  paid 
us  a  visit ;  and  a  renegade  Tripolitan  Jew,  'Abd- Allah,  with 
the  surname  "El  Musulmani,"  who  would  not  leave  us  for  a 
moment,  kept  telling  us  of  his  adventures  and  his  importance, 
and  assuring  us  of  his  most  disinterested  affection  for  us. 
Though  his  former  religion  differed  from  ours,  and  he  had 
again  exchanged  this  for  another  from  mere  worldly  motives, 
he  nevertheless  thought  himself  entitled  to  the  claim  of  brother- 
hood, and  was  gracious  enough  to  call  us  sometimes  his  cousins 
(welad  'ami).  There  was  another  man  who  tried  to  make  him- 
self as  agreeable  as  possible  to  us,  and  endeavored  to  obtain  our 
friendship :  this  was  an  Egyptian  named  Ibrahim,  a  fine,  tall 
man,  who  evidently  belonged  originally  to  a  good  family ;  but 
he  had  run  away  from  home,  and  was  now  leading,  in  company 
with  this  little  horde,  a  restless,  remorseful,  and  wearisome  life. 

When  the  heat  of  the  day  had  a  little  abated,  we  prepared 
the  small  present  we  had  to  give  to  Sheikh  Ghet,  and  which 
consisted  of  a  red  cloth  bernus  of  good  workmanship,  a  pound 
of  cloves,  a  pound  of  jawi  or  benzoin,  and  a  razor.  We  were 
well  aware  that  it  was  rather  a  trifling  gift,  considering  the  as- 
sistance we  required  from  these  people  to  carry  out  our  object; 
but  we  knew  also  that  it  was  rather  a  favor  bestowed  upon  us 
by  the  Yizier  of  Bornu,  who  regarded  these  people  as  in  his 
service.  Eeferring,  therefore,  to  the  friendship  which  existed 
of  old  between  their  tribe,  when  still  in  their  old  settlements  in 
the  Syrtis,  and  the  English  consul  in  Tripoli,  and  delivering  a 
letter  from  Mr.  Frederick  Warrington,  who  was  personally  well 
known  to  the  chief  men,  we  openly  professed  that  the  object  of 


278 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


our  coming  was  to  try,  with  their  assistance,  to  visit  the  easteri) 
shore  of  the  lake,  and  especially  the  Bahar  el  Ghazal,  which  had 
formed  a  remarkable  object  of  curiosity  in  our  country  for  some; 
time.  But  Sheikh  Ghet,  without  hesitation,  declared  it  was 
impossible  for  them  to  take  us  to  that  place,  the  most  dangerou;5 
locality  in  all  these  quarters,  on  account  of  the  many  predatory 
expeditions  which  were  made  to  that  spot  from  different  quarters, 
and  by  tribes  hostile  to  them.  After  some  commonplace  talk 
about  the  English,  we  left  him,  and  went  to  his  uncle  with  a 
present  of  precisely  the  same  kind,  and  began  here  to  urge  the 
distinct  object  of  our  coming  in  a  more  positive  way.  I  express- 
ed the  opinion  that,  as  they  would  render  acceptable  service  to 
the  British  government  if  they  were  to  enable  us  to  investigate 
the  connection  between  the  Bahar  el  Ghazal  and  the  lake,  so, 
on  the  other  hand,  a  great  portion  of  the  blame,  if  we  should  not 
be  able  to  carry  out  our  design,  would  certainly  fall  upon  them, 
inasmuch  as  they  had  always  professed  to  be  under  great  obliga- 
tions toward  the  English.  'Omar  ben  Ghet  ben  Sef  e'  Nasr  ac- 
knowledged all  this  ;  but  he  doubted  very  much  if  the  band,  in 
its  present  reduced  state,  would  be  able  to  carry  us  to  those 
quarters,  which  were  entirely  under  the  sway  of  Waday.  The 
Bahar  el  Ghazal  having  given  an  opportunity  of  speaking  about 
the  river-system  between  the  Tsad  and  the  Nile,  our  friend  came 
forward  with  a  most  confused  statement,  which  it  would  not  be 
worth  while  to  explain.  But  with  regard  to  that  large  wadi 
itself  we  found  that  he,  as  well  as  the  experienced  men  among 
these  Arabs,  asserted  that  it  took  its  course,  not  toward,  but  from 
the  lake. 

We  then  took  our  leave  of  'Omar  and  returned  to  our  tents. 
The  place  of  the  encampment  was  a  fine,  open,  sandy,  undulat- 
ing level,  commanding  the  vale,  where  are  the  wells  Yongo  or 
Bu-Halima,  covered  with  verdure,  and  richly  adorned  with  scat- 
tered mimosas.  The  tents  and  sheds  of  the  Arabs  were  spread 
over  a  great  space,  and  no  precaution  was  taken  to  obtain  some 
degree  of  security  by  means  of  fences  and  stockades.  The  sun 
having  set,  I  lay  down  outside  my  tent  to  enjoy  the  coolness 
and  tranquillity  of  the  evening  after  a  hot  and  troublesome  day. 


SPECIMEN  OF  PREDATORY  LITE. 


279 


All  seemed  calm  and  tranquil,  when  suddenly  a  terrible 
screaming  and  crying  arose  from  the  women  in  the  west  part  of 
the  encampment.  We  hurried  to  our  arms,  thinking  that  an 
enemy  had  entered  the  place.  The  cry,  '''Ala  e'  dhahar!  'ala 
e'  dhahar  I"  (Mount !  mount  I) — properly  speaking,  "  In  the  sad- 
dle!" "in  the  saddle!" — sounded  from  all  sides,  and  the  horse- 
men hun'ied  past  us  ;  but  it  was  on]y  a  small  party  of  freeboot- 
ers, who,  in  the  twilight  of  the  evening,  had  made  an  attack 
upon  the  camels,  and,  after  having  put  to  flight  two  or  three  men 
and  killed  a  horseman,  had  driven  off  a  part  of  the  herd.  Our 
friends  pursued  the  robbers  at  full  speed  and  soon  overtook 
them,  when  they  retreated  into  the  thicket  and  gave  up  their 
booty. 

In  this  way  we  had  a  specimen  of  the  character  of  our  pres- 
ent expedition  the  very  first  day  we  had  joined  this  little  horde; 
and  the  lamentations  of  the  females  on  account  of  the  man  who 
had  been  slain  sounded  woefully  through  the  night,  and  brought 
before  our  minds  the  fate  which,  in  a  very  short  time,  might  be- 
fall ourselves.  Late  in  the  night,  when  the  alarm  had  subsided, 
Sheikh  Ghet  sent  us  a  heifer  as  a  present. 

Thursday^  October  2d.  We  remained  quietly  in  our  encamp- 
ment, and  obtained  a  great  deal  of  valuable  information  respect- 
ing the  southeastern  part  of  the  lake  and  the  districts  adjacent.* 
Thus  the  day  passed  by  most  pleasantly. 

Nothing  remarkable  happened  to  us  on  the  following  day 
except  the  arrival  of  the  important  news  that  the  Agld  of  Wa- 
day,  who  had  resided  in  M'awo,  on  the  report  of  an  attack  in- 
tended to  be  made  by  the  Arabs  upon  that  town,  had  fled. 
This  news,  if  it  proved  true,  held  out,  of  course,  a  feeble  ray  of 
hope  that  we  might  be  able  to  penetrate  to  the  eastern  shore  of 
the  lake  ;  and  the  Arabs  formed  schemes  accordingly.  As  Haj 
'Abbas,  who  had  come  with  us  in  order  to  raise  from  the  Arabs 
Haj  Beshir's  share  in  the  spoil  of  their  last  predatory  excur- 
sions, was  to  return  to  Kukawa  in  a  few  days,  I  wrote  a  letter 
to  the  vizier  concerning  the  prospect  we  had  of  probably  not 
being  able  to  accomplish  the  whole  of  our  design.    The  rest  of 

*  The  whole  of  tliis  information  is  collected  in  the  Appendix. 


280 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


the  day  I  enjoyed  in  comfort,  stretched  quietly  in  the  shade  of 
a  tree ;  but  my  tranquillity  was  a  little  disturbed  by  disputes 
that  arose  among  my  men. 

Saturday^  October  Ath.  Very  early  in  the  morning,  when  all 
was  quiet,  I  was  aroused  from  my  sleep  by  the  mournful  song 
of  an  Arab,  who,  between  the  different  stanzas  of  his  dirge, 
seemed  to  give  vent  to  his  tears.  The  impression  made  by  this 
song,  whicli  was  full  of  deep  feeling,  among  such  a  horde  of  law- 
less people,  where  generally  only  the  meanest  side  of  man  was 
exhibited,  was  charming ;  but,  as  the  singer  was  at  some  dis- 
tance from  my  tent,  I  could  not  distinctly  make  out  what  was 
the  cause  of  his  grief,  neither  was  I  able  to  learn  it  afterward : 
the  thoughts  of  the  Arabs  were  taken  up  by  another  affair. 
The  most  handsome  among  the  female  slaves  who  composed 
part  of  the  spoil  that  was  to  be  taken  to  the  vizier  by  his  officer 
Haj  'Abbas  had  made  her  escape  during  the  night ;  they  were 
eagerly  searching  from  dawn  of  day,  but  could  not  find  her. 
At  length  they  discovered  her  necklace  and  clothes,  and  the  re- 
mains of  her  bones  —  evident  proofs  that  she  had  fallen  a  prey 
to  the  wild  beasts.  She  belonged  to  the  Yedina  or  Budduma, 
and  was  represented  as  having  been  possessed  of  considerable 
charms ;  and  it  was  supposed  that  her  loss  would  affect  the 
vizier  greatly,  who,  as  I  have  before  observed,  was  rather  fond 
of  an  ethnological  variety  of  female  beauty.  There  was  a  great 
deal  of  unpleasant  conversation  about  this  affair,  the  girl  not 
yet  having  been  delivered  up  to  Haj  'Abbas  when  she  made  her 
escape. 

But  there  were  many  other  causes  of  discord  among  this  lit- 
tle horde,  and  when  the  vizier's  officer  set  out,  a  great  many 
more  of  the  Arabs  made  use  of  the  opportunity  to  go  to  Kuka- 
wa  than  had  been  agreed  upon.  The  most  serious  loss  to  us 
was  certainly  the  departure  of  Sheikh  'Omar,  Ghet's  uncle,  who, 
on  account  of  his  experience  and  knowledge  of  the  English, 
which  much  exceeded  that  of  his  youthful  nephew,  might  have 
been  of  considerable  service  to  us.  At  any  rate,  he  ought  to 
have  informed  us  of  his  intention  to  leave,  as,  by  his  accepting 
our  present,  it  was  understood  that  he  undertook  the  obligation 


RICH  VALE. 


281 


of  assisting  us  in  carrying  out  our  project ;  and  having  nothing 
to  spare,  we  felt  rather  disappointed.  But,  although  our  pros- 
pects were  not  too  flattering,  at  least  we  had  hopes  of  moving  a 
little  onward,  as  our  departure  from  this  place  was  fixed  for  the 
following  day. 

Sunday,  October  bth.  When  the  camels,  guarded  by  the  men 
on  foot,  had  left  in  the  morning,  we  went  first,  with  the  other 
horsemen,  to  the  well,  in  order  to  water  our  horses.  We  had 
not  visited  it  before,  as  it  was  at  some  distance  from  our  tents. 
The  vale  was  of  that  general  wild  and  luxuriant  character  which 
distinguishes  the  valleys  of  Kanem  ;  but  it  was  even  more  wild 
and  picturesque  than  usual,  and  a  chill  draught  of  air  met  us 
proceeding  from  the  richly-wooded  dale,  where  the  sun's  rays 
never  penetrated.  There  were  several  wells,  which  exhibited  a 
busy  and  interesting  scene,  the  horsemen,  in  their  picturesque 
attire  (a  mixed  dress  of  their  native  abode  and  their  present 
adopted  home),  thronging  around  these  sources  and  centres  of 
life,  in  orde^  to  water  their  poor-looking  but  persevering  nags. 
When  we  returned  to  the  place  of  our  former  encampment  all 
was  desolate,  and  loneliness  and  silence  had  succeeded  to  the 
animated  dwelling-place  of  a  quarrelsome  multitude  of  people. 
We  hurried  on  over  undulating  sandy  ground,  richly  overgrown 
with  trees,  and  soon  overtook  our  camels.  The  place  of  our 
destination  was  not  far  off,  and  at  noon  we  were  already  en- 
camped on  a  fine  sandy  level,  rising  over  another  luxuriant  hol- 
low or  vale  especially  rich  in  kurna-trees,  whence  the  well  "Bir 
el  Kurna"  has  received  its  name.  It  was  a  spacious  encamp- 
ment, with  Arabs  and  Tebu  intermixed,  and  could  not  but  be 
very  salubrious,  although  we  found  afterward,  just  in  this  ele- 
vated position,  the  difference  between  the  cold  of  the  night  and 
the  heat  of  the  day  extraordinary.  Our  appetite  being  rather 
keen,  we  indulged  in  the  luxury  of  some  turtle-soup  ;  for  turtles 
are  by  no  means  a  rarity  in  these  districts,  although  in  general 
they  seem  to  be  of  a  rather  small  size.  I  do  not  remember  to 
have  seen  or  heard  in  this  quarter  of  such  large  specimens  as 
seem  to  be  common  in  the  country  round  Air. 

Monday,  October  Qth.  The  day  of  the  'Aid  el  kebir.    I  went 


282 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


in  the  morning,  as  soon  as  the  sun  began  to  sliine  forth,  to  a 
phice  in  a  cool  shade  a  little  south  from  our  encampment,  with- 
out knowing  that  this  was  the  very  spot  which  the  Arabs  had 
chosen  for  their  holiday  prayers.  In  general  only  a  few  of  them 
were  praying ;  but  to-day  the  leading  persons  among  them,  who 
came  here  with  Sheikh  Ghet,  offered  up  their  prayer  with  so- 
lemnity and  apparent  fervor. 

This  proved  an  unlucky  day  to  us,  and  very  unfavorable  to 
our  design  to  penetrate  into  those  dangerous  districts  on  the  east 
side  of  the  lake;  for  a  considerable  portion  of  the  tribe  (one  hund- 
red and  fifty  men,  with  about  seventy  horses)  left  that  day  for 
Kukawa,  to  our  great  surprise  and  mortification,  and,  as  it  would 
seem,  also  to  the  mortification  of  the  young  chief,  a  circumstance 
of  which  we  became  fully  aware  when  we  paid  him  a  visit  about 
noon.  Of  course,  with  our  very  small  means,  and  the  poor  and 
insignificant  character  of  our  mission,  we  could  not  expect  that 
this  unsettled  horde  should  have  a  scrupulous  regard  to  our 
wishes  and  designs  in  arranging  their  affairs.  It  was  quite  evi- 
dent that  their  proceeding  was  the  mere  effect  of  a  stubborn 
sense  of  independence  and  jealousy,  and  it  seemed  to  be  done 
in  open  opposition  to  the  wish  of  their  young  chief.  About  one 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  they  left ;  and  we  forwarded  a  short 
note  with  them,  expressive  of  our  dissatisfaction  at  this  state  of 
things,  which  filled  us  with  the  saddest  forebodings  as  to  the 
success  of  our  mission. 

But,  while  thus  disappointed  in  more  important  matters,  we 
felt  tolerably  well  off  in  material  comforts  ;  for  in  the  morning  a 
party  of  Fugabu  arrived  with  a  number  of  sheep  for  sale,  selling 
two  for  a  dollar,  and  thus  enabled  us  to  gratify  the  religious 
longing  of  our  servants  for  an  extra  dish  on  this  their  holiday. 
In  the  course  of  the  evening,  a  numerous  caravan  of  oxen  laden 
with  grain,  or  rather  Negro  millet,  arrived  from  Bornu,  which 
made  provisions  a  little  cheaper.  The  grain  grown  in  the  coun- 
try, in  its  present  wild  and  desolate  state,  is  not  sufficient  for  the 
population,  though  so  greatly  reduced  ;  and  the  last  season  had 
been  rather  an  unfavorable  one.  In  consequence  of  the  arrival 
of  this  caravan,  we  not  only  had  the  opportunity  of  buying  corn 


A  JEWISH  ADVENTUKEK. 


283 


at  a  cheaper  rate,  but  we  also  got  some  from  the  chief  as  a 
present. 

Every  thing  in  Kanem  is  bought  with  the  common  white 
Bornu  shirts,  which  form  the  general  dress  of  the  people,  black 
tobes  being  worn  only  by  richer  persons.  Even  the  general 
dress  of  Arabs  settled  here  in  Kanem  consists  of  these  white 
tobes  and  a  haik  made  of  the  same  stuff,  only  the  wealthier  in- 
dividuals being  able  to  buy  a  woolen  plaid.  The  dress  of  the 
females,  too,  is  made  of  these  very  tobes,  which  are  cut  into  the 
regular  oblong  pieces  of  which  they  consist,  and  sewn  together 
lengthwise. 

Tuesday^  October  1th,  Being  obliged  to  remain  here  without 
the  certain  prospect  of  doing  any  thing  worth  while,  we  at  least 
thought  we  had  some  right  to  the  hospitality  of  our  hosts,  and 
we  expressed  our  desire  to  obtain  a  little  more  milk,  as  we  our- 
selves possessed  neither  cows  nor  she-camels.  Our  request  was 
complied  with.  Thus  we  accustomed  ourselves  entirely  to  cam- 
el's milk,  and  found  it  by  degrees  more  palatable  and  wholesome 
than  the  milk  of  cows.  I  attribute  the  recovery  of  my  strength 
principally  to  this  sort  of  diet.  There  was  always  some  milk 
brought  into  the  encampment  by  the  daughters  of  the  Beni  Has- 
san ;  but  this  was  generally  milk  in  an  unpleasant  intermediate 
state  between  sweet  and  sour,  and  the  vessels  (the  korio,  made 
of  the  leaves  of  the  palm-tree)  in  which  it  was  carried  had  usu- 
ally a  bad  smell,  which  they  communicated  to  the  milk. 

As  the  renegade  Jew  'Abd-Allah  (El  Musulmani)  was  the  me- 
dium through  which  all  our  business  with  the  chief  was  trans- 
acted, I  made  him  to-day  a  present  of  a  red  sash,  and  continued  t 
to  keep  him  in  good  humor  by  occasional  small  presents.  This 
man  was  a  curious  specimen  of  a  Jewish  adventurer.  He  was 
by  birth  a  Tripolitan,  but  had  been  obliged  to  leave  his  native 
home  on  account  of  a  murder  which  he  had  committed.  He  then 
betook  himself  to  the  tribe  of  the  Welad  Sliman,  exchanging  his 
Jewish  creed  for  that  of  Mohammed,  and  obtained  protection. 
When  he  had  gained  a  good  deal  of  property  as  a  silversmith, 
his  new  companions  stripped  him  of  his  treasures ;  he  then  for 
a  time  separated  from  them,  and,  in  company  with  two  other 


284 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


renegade  Jews,  ]Musa  and  Ibrahim,  made  a  journey  to  Negro- 
land — a  memorable  event,  as  they  were  the  first  of  their  nation 
who  trod  this  road.  On  his  receiving  news  of  the  prosperity  of 
the  Welad  Sliman  in  Kanem,  he  once  more  joined  them,  and  be- 
came a  freebooter.  He  was  a  very  good  horseman ;  but  that 
was  all,  his  horsemanship  but  badly  supplying  his  want  of  cour- 
age. HoAvever,  he  was  useful  to  us  in  many  respects,  although 
we  had  to  take  care  that  the  people  did  not  confound  us  with 
these  Jewish  adventurers. 

I  began  this  day  my  little  vocabulary  of  the  Tebu  language, 
or,  rather,  the  "modi  Teda,"  and  provisionally  that  dialect  of 
this  language  which  is  spoken  by  the  inhabitants  of  Burgu,  and 
which  varies  considerably  from  the  language  as  it  is  spoken  by 
the  inhabitants  of  Bilma  and  in  the  south  of  Fezzan.  Already 
at  that  early  period  I  became  aware  that  this  language  is  near- 
ly related  to  the  Kanuri,  while  it  has  scarcely  any  link  what- 
ever which  externally  connects  it  with  the  Berber  language. 

Wednesday^  October  Sth,  The  only  thing  which  happened 
this  day  worth  mentioning  was  the  arrival  of  Halluf,  a  warlike 
Tebu  chieftain,  with  seventeen  horsemen  of  the  Fugabu  Tebu, 
who  rode  up  in  a  very  spirited  manner  to  the  tent  of  Sheikh 
Ghet.  Halluf,  a  man  of  great  bodily  size  and  strength,  and  re- 
nowned in  these  quarters  on  account  of  his  valor,  had  formerly 
been  the  enemy  of  Bornu,  but  had  now  been  won  over  to  its  in- 
terest. However,  he  was  still  too  much  afraid  of  the  Bornu 
people  to  join  the  Welad  Sliman  as  long  as  Haj  'Abbas,  the 
vizier's  messenger,  was  present,  but  he  came  as  soon  as  he 
heard  that  he  was  gone.  He  was  not  a  very  scrupulous  man, 
as  I  soon  convinced  myself,  as  he,  with  the  Fugabu,  called  upon 
us,  and,  as  soon  as  he  had  introduced  himself,  began  begging 
for  poison.  We  of  course  cut  his  demand  short.  He  then  sat 
quietly  down  with  his  companions,  and  took  great  delight  in 
the  performances  of  my  musical  box,  which  I  really  found,  to- 
gether w4th  the  watch,  the  most  useful  instrument  for  demon- 
strating to  the  people  the  great  superiority  of  European  genius 
and  handicraft.  These  people  were  not  without  sympathy  for 
those  lively  airs  which  the  little  instrument  was  capable  of  per- 


FALSE  ALARM. 


285 


forming,  and  would  sit  down  quietly  for  a  great  length  of  time, 
enjoying  this  mysterious  music.  The  rumor  soon  spread,  and 
Sheikh  Gh^t  likewise  desired  to  be  made  acquainted  with  the 
mysterious  little  box.  But  the  day  did  not  end  so  harmlessly, 
for  bad  tidings  arrived.  Haj  'Abbas,  on  his  way  to  Bornu,  had 
seen  a  troop  of  Kindin  near  Ngegimi,  and  warned  the  Arabs  to 
beware  of  a  sudden  attack.  Thus  uneasiness  and  anxiety 
spread  through  the  encampment,  and  scouts  were  sent  out  to 
scour  the  country  in  every  direction. 

Friday^  October  lOzfA.  News  having  been  brought  in  the 
morning  that  three  Tawarek  on  horseback,  and  five  on  camels, 
had  been  seen  at  a  neighboring  well,  an  alarm  was  raised  im- 
mediately. All  the  Arabs  mounted,  and  we  followed  their  ex- 
ample, though  I  felt  extremely  weak  ;  while  my  horse,  having 
had  rest  and  good  food  for  several  days,  and  seeing  so  many 
companions  galloping  and  capering  about,  was  almost  unman- 
ageable. 

The  whole  encampment  presented  a  very  warlike  appearance, 
but  it  turned  out  to  be  a  false  alarm.  We  therefore  returned 
into  the  encampment,  and  began  to  arrange  our  luggage,  as  we 
were  to  leave  here  the  heaviest  part  of  our  things,  and  take 
only  as  little  as  possible  with  us  in  our  progress  further  east- 
ward ;  for  the  Arabs  had  conceived  the  hope  of  plunder,  the 
news  having  been  brought  that  the  Khalifa  of  Waday  had  left 
his  residence  M'awo,  and  that  nobody  was  there  to  defend  that 
quarter  against  their  inroads.  At  the  same  time,  our  friends 
cast  a  longing  look  toward  Bateli,  the  celebrated  pasture-grounds 
in  the  northern  course  of  the  Bahar  el  Ghazal,  two  days'  march 
beyond  Ege,  where  numbers  of  camels  were  reported  to  be  col- 
lected at  the  time.  Of  course,  they  did  not  want  it  to  become 
known  where  they  intended  to  direct  their  foray,  and  therefore 
spoke  now  of  this,  then  of  that  quarter,  as  likely  to  be  the  ob- 
ject of  their  expedition. 


286 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


CHAPTEE  XLI. 

SHITATI. — THE  EASTERN,  MORE  FAVORED  VALLEYS  OF  KaNEM. 

Saturday^  October  11th.  With  the  rest  of  our  people,  and 
with  the  remaining  two  camels  carrying  the  smaller  part  of  our 
luggage,  we  accompanied  the  following  day  the  more  active  part 
of  the  horde,  while  the  older  men  were  left  behind  for  the  de- 
fense of  the  encampment,  with  their  families  and  property. 

The  country  through  which  our  way  led  was  entirely  of  the 
same  character  as  that  which  I  have  already  described,  a  sandy 
level,  adorned  with  trees  of  moderate  size,  almost  all  of  the  ge- 
nus Mimosa,  and  in  favorable  seasons  well  adapted  for  the  cul- 
tivation of  Indian  corn — now  and  then  broken  by  deep  hollows 
of  larger  or  smaller  extent,  generally  with  a  sufficient  supply  of 
A\^ater  to  produce  fine  plantations  or  corn-fields,  and  overgrown 
with  more  luxuriant  vegetation.  We  crossed  a  fine  vale  of  this 
description  about  eight  miles  from  our  starting-point,  and  chose 
our  camping-ground  on  the  higher  level  commanding  the  "Bir 
el  Ftaim."  The  hollow,  however,  which  contains  this  well  is 
rather  of  a  peculiar  kind ;  for,  unlike  the  other  basins,  which 
afford  sufficient  space  for  cultivation,  it  is  extremely  narrow, 
while  the  encompassing  slopes,  at  least  that  on  the  north  side, 
rise  to  a  greater  altitude  than  the  general  level  of  the  country. 
I  made  a  sketch  of  it. 

On  this  commanding  point  there  was  a  village  of  the  Fugabu 
Kobber ;  and  Overweg  and  I,  before  we  went  to  our  encamp- 
ment, which  was  chosen  on  the  southern  slope,  paid  tliese  peo- 
ple a  visit,  dismounting  under  a  tree  at  some  distance  from  their 
light  huts,  and  were  well  received.  They  brought  us  immedi- 
ately a  dish  made  of  the  meal  of  Indian  corn  and  sour  milk, 
and  sat  down  cheerfully,  questioning  us  as  to  the  difference  be- 
tween their  country  and  ours,  and  asking,  with  regard  to  the 


A  THREATENED  STORM.— WILD  PIGEONS. 


289 


politics  of  England,  whether  we  were  the  friends  or  enemies  of 
Dar-Fur  and  Waday  (which  countries,  together  with  Bornu, 
comprised  their  political  horizon),  and  expressed  great  astonish- 
ment at  our  instruments.  They  brought  us  a  lion's  skin,  and 
soon  after  another  very  palatable  dish  of  deshishe  made  of  wheat, 
with  very  good  butter,  which  had  nothing  of  that  nasty  taste  pe- 
culiar to  the  butter  of  Bornu  and  the  surrounding  countries  :  the 
dish  was  seasoned  with  dates. 

It  would  have  been  far  more  instructive  and  agreeable  to  us 
to  be  in  the  constant  company  and  under  the  protection  of  these 
people,  the  natives  of  the  country,  who  would  have  made  us  ac- 
quainted with  its  characteristic  features  so  much  better  than  that 
band  of  lawless  robbers  who  took  no  real  interest  in  it  except 
as  regarded  the  booty  which  it  afforded  them.  But  they  had 
neither  power  nor  authority ;  and  we  were  satisfied  that  w^here 
the  Arabs  were  not  able  to  conduct  us,  these  people  never  could. 
Notwithstanding  their  alliance  with  the  Arabs,  they  are  treated 
with  contempt  by  the  latter,  and  the  Arabs  never  omit  to  add  a 
sneer  when  they  speak  of  the  "damned"  ("am  bu")  Kerada; 
for  so  they  call  the  Fugabu.  Of  course,  the  intercourse  of  these 
two  different  people  can  neither  be  sincere  nor  intimate,  and  the 
natives  were  only  waiting  for  their  day  of  revenge. 

A  storm  gathering  and  threatening  to  burst  upon  us,  we 
hastened  away  from  this  spot ;  but  there  was  only  a  little  rain. 
In  the  evening  there  arrived  two  Shiiwa  from  the  villages  of  the 
Woghda,  and  were  thrown  into  irons,  in  order  not  to  betray  the 
approach  of  the  Arabs. 

Sunday^  October  \1th.  We  went  on  a  short  distance  to  an- 
other well  situated  in  a  considerable  hollow  or  basin,  which 
miglit  afford,  and  has  once  afforded  a  splendid  place  for  cultiva- 
tion, but  which  at  present  was  entirely  blocked  up  and  made 
really  impassable  by  rank  and  wild  vegetation.  With  great 
trouble,  we  penetrated  with  the  first  horsemen  to  the  well.  No- 
body had  made  use  of  it  for  a  long  period.  The  Arabs  had  not 
encamped  at  this  place  for  at  least  seven  years  ;  hence  there  was 
a  rich  abundance  of  excellent  food  for  the  camels  ;  but  the  dan- 
ger from  beasts  of  prey  was  also  very  great.    The  ground  was 

Vol.  II.— T 


290 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


fall  of  clcpliants'  dung,  and  wild  pigeons  were  hoYering  about  in 
o-reat  numbers. 

o 

The  place  for  our  encampment  was  chosen  on  the  level  com- 
manding the  rich  basin  on  the  eastern  side,  and  descending  into 
it  by  a  steep  slope  of  from  300  to  400  feet.  Here  I  laid  my- 
self down  in  the  cool  shade  of  a  luxuriant  serrakh  not  far  from 
the  slope,  and  surveyed  the  trains  of  the  Fugabu,  who,  in  the 
course  of  the  day,  arrived  with  their  little  movable  household, 
having  left  their  former  residence  near  Bir  el  Ftaim.  In  the 
evening  we  paid  a  visit  to  the  sheikh,  and,  as  usual,  were 
obliged  to  give  him  and  his  companions  some  account  of  Euro- 
pean matters,  though  it  would  have  been  far  more  interesting 
for  us  to  listen  to  their  own  stories,  so  full  of  incidents  of  a 
wild,  restless  life. 

Monday^  October  l?>th.  The  weather  was  cool,  and  a  strong 
north  wind  made  it  rather  chilly.  Having  been  told  that  we 
were  not  to  leave  the  next  day,  I  purchased  a  ram  with  a  white 
tobe  which  I  had  bought  fox  about  forty  rotl  in  Kukawa,  re- 
ceiving, besides  the  ram,  one  s'aa  or  zekka  of  Guinea-corn  to 
complete  the  bargain.  I  afterward  got  a  fine  fat  goat,  which  we 
slaughtered  to-day,  and  found  its  meat  pretty  good.  Halkif 
came  while  I  was  lying  in  the  shade  of  my  serrakh  of  the  pre- 
ceding day,  which  I  had  nicely  cleaned, and  sat  down  to  a  chat: 
he  assured  me  that  he  was  able  to  bring  us  to  Karka  or  Kargha, 
the  swampy  country  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  lake,  which 
forms  an  archipelago  of  small  islands,  and  would  offer  his  serv- 
ices for  that  purpose,  but  that  he  was  afraid  of  Sheikh  Ghat's 
jealousy.  He  then  went  with  me  over  my  little  Tebu  vocab- 
ulary, and  corrected  some  slight  mistakes.  He  was  quite  a  so- 
ciable man,  but  Overweg,  as  well  as  I,  doubted  much  whether  he 
could  be  trusted. 

Having  consulted  what  course  to  take,  we  went  to  the  sheikh 
and  asked  him  \^iiether  he  really  thought  Halluf  would  be  able 
to  take  us  with  any  degree  of  safety  to  Karka.  He  did  not 
hesitate  to  declare  that  Halluf  was  unable  to  accomplish  what 
he  had  boasted  of,  and  begged  us  to  have  patience  till  news 
should  arrive  from  Bornu,  where  he  had  sent  to  ask  for  advice 


PROJECTS  FRUSTRATED. 


291 


with  regard  to  our  design  of  visiting  the  eastern  side  of  the  lake, 
and  respecting  his  own  proceedings.  We  rather  imagined  that 
the  vizier  had  given  him  orders,  at  the  same  time  that  he  sent  us 
out  to  Kanem,  to  assist  us  in  carrying  out  our  project  in  every 
respect,  and  we  could  scarcely  hope  for  any  favorable  result  by 
their  asking  advice  at  such  a  distance.  We  therefore  com- 
plained to  'Abd-Allali  of  the  sheikh's  lukewarmness  ;  and,  pre- 
suming that  he  was  not  content  to  leave  us  under  the  protection 
of  Halhif  because  he  expected  the  latter  would  get  some  hand- 
some present  from  us,  we  told  him  that  even  if  we  were  to  go 
with  Halluf  we  should  regard  ourselves  as  still  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  sheikh,  to  whom  we  were  entirely  indebted  for 
Halluf's  acquaintance,  and  would  make  him  a  valuable  present 
if  we  should  not  fail  in  our  enterprise.  This  seemed  to  take 
effect ;  and  we  received  the  satisfactory  message  in  the  evening 
that  we  should  be  allowed  to  go  with  Halluf,  but  that  we  must 
make  a  handsome  present  to  the  sheikh,  besides  the  large  tent 
which  T  had  prepared  for  myself  in  Tripoli.  Being  willing  to 
make  any  sacrifice  in  order  to  carry  out  the  express  wish  of  the 
government  who  had  sent  us,  and  elated  by  the  prospect  that 
something  might  be  done,  we  paid  another  visit  to  Sheikh  Ghet 
in  the  evening,  but  could  not  arrive  at  any  definite  arrangement. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  a  certain  Keghamma,  who 
alone  had  the  power  to  take  us  to  Karka,  while  Halluf,  at  best, 
was  said  to  be  able  to  conduct  us  to  ]\raw6 ;  but  at  this  time 
we  could  not  make  out  distinctly  who  this  Keghamma  was,  ex- 
cept that  we  learned  that  he  resided  in  a  place  called  Karafu,  in 
the  direction  of  M'awo. 

Tuesday^  October  14th.  The  strong  wind  making  it  rather 
uncomfortable  outside,  I  remained  in  my  tent  studying  the  Tebu 
language,  and  conversing  with  the  faki  'Othman,  a  man  who,  by 
his  m.ild  conduct,  formed  a  curious  contrast  to  the  lawless  and 
quarrelsome  character  of  this  band  of  robbers,  besides  being 
possessed  of  less  prejudice  and  superstition.  In  the  afternoon 
several  Fugabu  paid  us  a  visit ;  they  all  behaved  well,  and  were 
not  troublesome.  It  was  at  length  decided  that  we  should  leave 
the  second  day  following,  with  Halluf,  for  the  Bahar  el  Ghazal 


292  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

and  Karka  ;  and  although  we  were  sorry  at  not  having  brought 
the  affair  to  a  more  definite  conclusion,  we  yet  indulged  in  the 
hope  that  we  should  be  able  to  attain  our  object,  when  suddenly 
in  the  evening  we  received  information  that  Halluf  had  receded 
from  his  engagement,  and  that  therefore  no  further  idea  of  our 
going  with  him  could  be  entertained. 

What  the  reason  was  for  this  sudden  change  of  proceeding  I 
can  not  say,  but  all  our  arguments,  of  course  were  faulty,  as  we 
were  unable  to  give  them  sufficient  weight  by  good  presents. 
That  the  tidings  of  the  carrying  off  of  three  herds  of  cattle  from 
a  village  at  a  few  miles'  distance  from  Y6  by  the  Tawarek, 
which  arrived  this  evening,  could  have  had  any  influence  upon 
this  course  of  policy,  was  rather  improbable. 

Wednesday,  October  IMh.  I  was  so  happy  as  to  collect  a 
good  deal  of  information  about  the  country  of  Shitati,  which  we 
had  now  entered,  once  densely  inhabited  in  large  and  populous 
cities,  and  passed  the  day  quietly  and  usefully.  We  heard,  to 
our  great  joy,  that  we  were  to  go  on  the  next  day  with  the  whole 
expedition. 

Thursday,  October  16th.  We  had  scarcely  left  the  place  of 
our  encampment  when  we  fell  in  with  an  elephant's  track,  ap- 
parently leading  to  the  well,  and  followed  it  for  a  long  distance. 
It  was  well  trodden,  and  was  an  undoubted  proof  that  these 
huge  animals  abounded  in  this  deserted  region,  where  man  had 
left  scarcely  any  trace  of  liis  presence.  Having  proceeded  at  a 
swift  rate,  we  crossed,  at  the  distance  of  about  six  miles,  a  very 
tine  hollow  or  vale,  stretching  south  and  north,  and  capable  of 
producing  every  thing,  and  even  at  that  time  exhibiting  a  few 
vestiges  of  human  activity  and  industry  in  a  small  field  of  wheat 
irrigated  from  those  wells  called  "khattatir"  by  the  Arabs, 
which  name  is  given  by  them  also  to  the  spot  irrigated  in  this 
way.    Its  native  name,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  is  "  Yakallogo.'' 

We  then  came  to  another  hollow,  formed  like  an  ancient  cir- 
cus, and  having  its  soil  richly  impregnated  with  natron ;  it  is 
called  Berende.  After  a  short  halt  here  we  continued  our 
march,  and  Overweg  and  I,  while  our  men  and  camels  followed 
the  direct  road,  turned  off  toward  the  south,  and  visited  another 


BEAUTIFUL  VALE. 


293 


hollow,  called  "  Boro,"  in  whose  deep  bottom  a  lake  is  formed, 
which,  according  to  the  season  and  to  the  quantity  of  water  it 
contains,  like  several  other  water-basins  round  the  lake,  may  be 
termed  a  fresh  or  brackish-water  lake. 

During  the  last  rainy  season  but  very  little  rain  had  fallen  in 
Kanem,  and  consequently  this  lake  was  of  rather  small  extent, 
being  about  one  mile  and  a  half  round,  and  limited  to  the  more 
deeply  depressed  southern  corner  of  the  basin,  while  its  north- 
ern corner,  which  is  rarely  inundated,  was  thickly  wooded. 
There  was  formerly  much  cultivation  here,  and  a  small  village 
stood  on  the  border  of  the  lake.  Now  all  is  desolate,  and  our 
Kanemma  guide,  Musa  Bede,  unwilling  to  make  a  longer  stay 
in  such  a  spot,  hurried  on,  ascending  the  steep  eastern  slope, 
which  is  at  least  three  hundred  feet  high.  Here  we  obtained  a 
view  over  a  great  extent  of  country ;  but  it  was  all  one  desolate 
wilderness,  and  nothing  particular  to  be  seen  excepting  a  party 
of  five  men  watching  our  movements  and  keeping  parallel  with 
us.  We  therefore  returned  to  our  troop  and  informed  them  of 
the  circumstance,  and  a  body  of  horsemen  was  sent  in  pursuit. 

We  then,  about  half  an  hour  before  noon,  crossed  another 
hollow  or  vale,  called  Tawader,  with  the  dry  basin  of  a  lake  in 
its  southernm-ost  part,  on  whose  border  were  several  wells ;  the 
ground  was  thickly  overgrown  with  underwood.  Continuing 
our  march,  we  reached,  after  noon,  a  more  extensive  and  ex- 
tremely beautiful  vale,  richly  clothed  with  vegetation,  but  not 
in  so  wild  a  state,  and  not  of  the  same  impenetrable  character 
as  many  of  those  which  we  had  seen ;  the  reason  seemed  to  be 
that  it  was  less  deep,  being  only  about  150  feet  under  the  higher 
level. 

Here  the  troop  halted  during  the  heat  of  the  day,  the  groups 
being  scattered  over  the  whole  extent  of  the  hollow ;  but  it  was 
not  a  fit  spot  for  a  night's  encampment,  as  well  on  account  of 
the  wild  beasts,  as  of  the  danger  of  a  sudden  attack  from  hos- 
tile men.  Sweet  as  repose  was  here  in  the  cool  shade  of  a  lux- 
uriant serrakh  or  a  kurna,  the  ground  was  full  of  scorpions,  and 
my  body-guard,  Bu-Zed,  was  severely  stung  by  one.  Accord- 
ingly, when  the  dhohor  had  passed  by,  the  order  was  given  for 


294 


TKAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


decamping,  and  we  kept  along  the  vale  and  ascended  the  east- 
ern slope,  when,  on  an  entirely  open  ground  almost  bare  of  trees, 
we  cliose  a  place  for  our  night's  encampment.  The  Arabs  here 
brought  us  a  young  ostrich  which  they  had  caught  in  the  val- 
ley; and  we  had  a  long,  unprofitable  conversation  with  them 
in  endeavoring  to  obtain  their  good-will. 

Fridaij^  October  11th.  We  started  very  early  for  a  long  day's 
fatiguing  ride ;  for,  notwithstanding  all  the  care  I  took  of  my- 
self, I  could  not  recover  from  my  sickly  state,  and  was  extreme- 
ly sensitive  of  fatigue.  The  country  in  the  beginning  of  our 
march  was  less  adorned  with  trees  than  usual,  but  it  became 
more  densely  wooded  after  we  had  passed  the  vale  called  Asfu- 
ra.  This  hollow,  of  small  extent,  and  inclosed  all  around  by 
steep  slopes,  is  provided  with  a  great  number  of  wells  of  excel- 
lent water  ;  but  its  bottom,  being  in  most  parts  stony,  is  almost 
bare  of  vegetation,  with  the  exception  of  here  and  there  a  dum- 
bush.  While  the  men  made  a  short  halt  for  taking  in  a  supply 
of  water,  I  went  a  little  in  advance  with  Abd- Allah  ;  but  I  soon 
found  that  he  did  not  know  the  road  at  all,  keeping  far  too  much 
to  the  south,  and  I  thought  it  wiser  to  return  to  our  people,  and 
march  along  with  them. 

The  country  here  offers  a  greater  variety  in  its  configuration ; 
and  instead  of  an  extensive  level,  as  before,  hill  and  dale  suc- 
ceed each  other.  Having  passed  several  smaller  concavities,  we 
reached  a  more  considerable  valley,  called  Jena  u  Shelukko, 
which  contained  corn,  or  rather  durra-fields,  but  they  were  en- 
tirely destroyed  by  the  elephants.  Grain  had  also  been  culti- 
vated at  the  foot  of  the  slope,  but  it  had  failed  entirely,  on  ac- 
count of  the  scarcity  of  rain.  There  were  no  vestiges  of  human 
habitations. 

Our  people  had  begun  to  make  themselves  comfortable  in  this 
fine  valley  for  passing  the  heat  of  the  day,  when  suddenly  or- 
ders were  given  for  continuing  our  march.  The  country  now 
became  more  hilly.  Having  passed  en  route  a  hollow  provided 
with  wells,  and  called  Agho,  once  one  of  the  most  famous  places^ 
of  Kanem,  we  made,  after  noon,  a  short  halt  in  the  flat  dell  call- 
ed Nuundul,  in  which  are  several  khattatir  or  draw-wells,  and 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  ATTACK. 


295 


stubble-fields,  in  order  to  provide  ourselves  with  water,  and  also 
to  water  our  horses.  There  was  a  great  bustle  and  confusion, 
every  body  wanting  to  get  first  to  the  wells,  and  proceed  with 
the  principal  troop,  as  we  were  now  approaching  a  hostile  terri- 
tory. ]My  she-camel,  which  was  a  very  fine  little  animal,  but 
rather  too  heavily  laden  for  such  an  expedition,  was  among  the 
last  that  arrived,  and,  starting  after  the  others,  was  soon  left  be- 
hind the  whole  troop,  and  I  endeavored  in  vain  to  bring  her  up. 

Tlie  country  here  w^as  more  level  than  it  had  been  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  our  route,  and  we  left  on  our  right  only  one  vale, 
whicli  is  called  jMainasa.  Fortunately  for  me,  the  whole  host 
made  a  longer  halt  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  in  one  long 
line,  in  order  to  exhort  the  little  band  to  valor,  and  to  give  them 
some  instructions  in  case  of  a  conflict  with  the  enemy.  •  No 
quarter  w^as  to  be  given,  and  any  one  of  them  v»^ho  should  lose 
his  horse  or  camel  was  to  be  indemnified  for  the  loss.  But  a 
great  deal  w^as  proclaimed  besides,  which,  as  I  was  at  the  very 
end  of  the  line,  I  could  not  make  out.  Two  horsemen  were 
galloping  along  the  line  and  brandishing  white  banners,  such  as 
I  had  not  observed  before.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  parade  in 
the  w^holc  scene,  and  at  the  end  of  it  several  small  troops  of 
horsemen  galloped  out  in  advance  of  the  line  as  "  iman,"  that 
is  to  say,  as  bound  by  an  oath  either  to  be  victorious  or  to  die. 

At  lengtli  we  pursued  our  course,  the  line  breaking  up  into 
small  irregular  detachments,  as  chance  or  attachment  grouped 
the  people  together ;  but  we  soon  came  to  another  halt,  and  much 
conversation  ensued,  in  consequence  of  which  three  of  the  Fu- 
gabu  horsemen  were  dispatched  to  the  south  to  bring  up  an 
experienced  guide.  Having  at  length  resumed  our  march, 
through  a  fine,  undulating,  and  well-wooded  country,  w^e  chose, 
about  sunset,  an  open  place  for  our  encampment,  where  we  were 
told  we  should  rest  till  the  moon  had  risen.  Strict  orders  were 
given  not  to  light  a  fire,  in  order  that  the  enemy  might  not  be- 
come aware  of  our  approach.  But  as  soon  as  it  became  dark, 
very  large  fires  were  seen  to  the  southeast,  forming  one  magnifi- 
cent line  of  flame  ;  and  as  it  was  clear  that  those  were  not  com- 
mon fires  for  domestic  use,  but  appeared  rather  to  be  beacons,  it 


296 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


was  conjectured  that  the  enemy  had  tidings  oi  our  coming,  and 
were  calling  together  their  people.  An  order  was  therefore  im- 
mediately given  to  proceed ;  but  scarcely  were  the  loads  put 
upon  the  camels,  and  every  thing  ready  for  the  march,  when  a 
counter  order  was  received  that  we  were  to  remain.  We  then 
began  to  make  ourselves  comfortable,  when  a  third  order  was 
given  to  load  immediately  and  to  pursue  the  march. 

This  ordering  and  countermanding  seemed  to  arise  rather 
from  the  bad  organization  of  a  band  subject  to  no  strict  author- 
ity, but  where  every  man  of  any  experience  and  a  little  valor 
had  something  to  say,  than  with  the  intention  of  misleading  a 
lurking  spy ;  but,  whatever  the  cause,  it  was  rather  trying,  and 
my  two  men,  Bu-Zed  and  A^hmed,  neither  of  whom  was  very 
energetic,  could  scarcely  be  persuaded  to  load  a  second  time, 
while  all  the  people  were  getting  ready  with  great  expedition, 
and  marched  off  as  soon  as  they  were  ready.  We  therefore  re- 
mained behind  from  the  beginning.  Unfortunately,  the  load 
was  so  badly  adjusted  that  several  things  soon  fell  down,  and 
had  to  be  replaced ;  and  this  happening  more  than  once,  the 
distance  between  us  and  the  host  became  so  great,  that  at  last 
not  even  the  slightest  noise  could  be  heard  of  the  troop  before 
us  to  direct  our  course ;  but  having  once  noticed  the  direction 
by  the  stars,  I  was  able  to  guide  my  servants.  To  make  mat- 
ters worse,  the  ground  was  covered  with  high  grass,  and  it  was 
not  easy  to  proceed  at  a  rapid  rate.  Trees  were  very  scanty 
here. 

At  length  the  Arabs  became  aware  of  my  having  been  left  at 
a  great  distance  behind,  and  about  midnight  made  a  halt,  when 
I  overtook  them.  After  having  lightened  my  camel,  we  pro- 
ceeded with  expedition  through  the  dark  night,  illuminated  only 
by  the  distant  fires,  which  gave  a  painful  idea  of  the  resistance 
we  were  to  meet  with,  till  after  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of 
the  18th,  when  we  reached  a  rising  ground,  and,  dismounting, 
lay  down  near  our  wearied  horses  to  get  an  hour's  rest. 

We  then  continued  our  march  with  great  alacrity  for  an  hour, 
when  we  came  to  a  halt  on  undulating  sandy  ground  thickly 
covered  with  bushes.    The  horsemen  galloped  on  in  advance. 


REGULARLY-FORMED  VALLEY. 


297 


while  Overweg  and  I  remained  with  the  train,  consisting  of  from 
sixty  to  seventy  camels  mounted  by  young  men,  and  boys  not 
more  than  ten  years  old,  who  were  looking  forward  with  such 
avidity  for  prey  that  they  could  scarcely  be  kept  back.  At 
length  we  began  to  proceed  slowly,  but  soon  came  to  another 
halt,  as  till  now  we  had  not  heard  a  single  shot ;  but  when  the 
day  dawned  the  greedy  multitude  could  not  be  kept  back  any 
longer,  and  on  we  went. 

We  here  obtained  a  faint  view  of  an  irregular  valley-forma- 
tion ahead  of  us,  adorned  with  a  few  palm-trees,  which,  in  the 
dubious  light  of  the  dawn,  gave  to  the  country  an  interesting 
and  entirely  new  appearance.  Crossing  this  valley-plain,  we 
gradually  ascended  higher  ground,  and  reached  a  small  deserted 
village,  consisting  of  large,  spacious  huts  ;  but,  though  we  turn- 
ed off  from  it  to  the  north  in  order  to  prevent  our  little  troop 
from  dispersing  to  make  booty,  the  best-mounted  and  most  dar- 
ing of  them  started  off  on  their  light  mehara  to  see  if  something 
might  not  have  been  left  to  suit  them. 

Some  little  cultivation  was  to  be  seen  around  the  village,  but 
in  general  the  country  continued  to  bear  the  most  evident  traces 
of  desolation.  At  length  its  dreary  aspect  became  relieved,  and 
we  descended  into  a  regularly  formed  valley  called  Gesgi,  about 
500  yards  broad,  and  inclosed  between  high  cliffs  of  sandstone. 
This  was  the  first  regular  valley-formation  which  we  saw  on 
our  journey  to  Kanem,  for  as  yet  all  depressions  in  the  ground 
presented  rather  the  character  of  hollows  without  a  regular 
shelving  or  sloping  in  any  direction.  This  valley,  on  the  con- 
trary, extending  from  north  to  south,  was  apparently  the  occa- 
sional channel  of  a  small  torrent,  and,  on  account  of  the  moist- 
ure extending  over  the  whole  of  it,  was  adorned  with  several 
groups  of  palm-trees,  and  in  several  places  with  corn-fields. 

But  while  this  valley  presented  great  attraction  to  the  Euro- 
pean traveler,  it  was  not  less  attractive  to  the  covetous  Arab 
freebooter ;  and  all  order  ceasing  in  our  little  troop,  the  young, 
inexperienced  lads  who  composed  our  cortege  dispersed  in  all 
directions.  Some  small  flocks  of  sheep  had  been  observed  in 
the  valley,  and  they  were  now  pursued  by  part  of  our  compan- 


298 


TRAVET.S  IN  AFRICA. 


ions,  while  others  ransacked  the  huts  of  a  small  hamlet  situated 
on  the  western  brow  of  the  vale.  It  was  very  fortunate  for  us 
that  no  natives  were  lurking  hereabouts,  as  they  might  have 
done  immense  mischief  to  our  troop,  scattered  as  it  was  about 
the  country.  Overweg  and  I  were  almost  left  alone,  when,  aft- 
er having  looked  about  in  vain  for  traces  of  the  footsteps  of  the 
horsemen  who  had  gone  in  advance,  we  ascended  the  eastern 
slope,  which  was  extremely  steep  and  very  difficult  for  the  cam- 
els. Gradually  our  companions,  fearing  to  expose  themselves 
by  staying  behind,  collected  around  us,  and  we  proceeded  in  a 
southeasterly  direction,  when  we  soon  came  to  another  and  more 
favored  valley,  called  Henderi  Siggesi,  its  bottom  adorned  with 
a  thicker  grove  of  date-trees  and  with  beautiful  corn-fields — 
that  is  to  say,  fields  of  wheat-  with  their  golden  stalks  waving 
in  the  wind ;  while  the  high  ground,  being  elevated  above  the 
bottom  of  the  valley  about  120  feet,  was  planted  near  the  brow 
with  fields  of  millet,  which  was  just  ripe,  but  not  yet  reaped. 
What  with  the  rich  vegetation,  the  steep  cliffs,  the  yellowish 
crop,  the  burning  hamlet,  and  the  people  endeavoring  to  make 
their  escape,  it  formed  a  very  interesting  scene,  which  is  repre- 
sented in  the  accompanying  idew. 

Keeping  along  the  western  brow,  which  in  some  places,  where 
the  rock  lay  bare,  was  extremely  steep,  we  observed  that  sev- 
eral natives,  including  even  two  or  three  horsemen,  had  taken 
refuge  in  the  thickest  part  of  the  date-grove,  watching  our  mo- 
tions. A  small  hamlet  of  straw  huts  of  a  peculiar  shape,  not 
unlike  those  of  the  Koyam  described  on  a  former  occasion,  and 
lying  at  the  very  brink  of  the  steep  rocky  declivity,  had  been  set 
on  fire.  Our  wild,  lawless  companions  now  began  to  descend 
into  the  valley  at  a  spot  where  the  slope  was  more  gradual, 
raising  a  war-cry  in  order  to  frighten  those  people  who  were  hid 
in  the  grove.  Five  good  horsemen  would  have  sufficed  to  over- 
throw this  whole  troop  of  young  unbearded  lads,  who  were  snap- 
ping their  firelocks  without  being  in  general  provided  with  balls. 
It  was  very  lucky,  indeed,  that  Overweg  and  I,  with  our  people, 
kept  well  together  in  the  foremost  part  of  the  train,  for  the  na- 
tives, rushing  suddenly  out  from  their  hiding-place  upon  the 


ATTACK  BY  THE  NATIVES. 


301 


stragglers,  laid  hold  of  two  camels,  with  which  they  immediate- 
ly made  good  their  retreat,  their  young  riders,  who  a  moment 
before  had  shown  such  courage,  having  betimes  jumped  off  their 
animals  and  run  away.  Our  companions  were  now  full  of  ges- 
ticulations and  warlike  threats,  but  nobody  dared  to  attack  the 
small  body  of  men  and  dispute  with  them  their  booty.  We 
soon  reached  the  level  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  valley  ;  but  if 
we  had  hesitated  before  what  course  to  pursue,  we  were  now 
quite  puzzled  to  find  the  whereabouts  of  the  horsemen.  Wan- 
dering thus  up  and  down  without  any  distinct  direction,  we,  of 
course,  as  it  was  not  safe  for  us  to  dismount  and  take  a  mo- 
ment's rest,  suffered  great  fatigue,  after  a  whole  day  and  night's 
journey.  Meanwhile  the  sun  had  almost  reached  the  zenith, 
and  I  felt  extremely  weak  and  exhausted. 

At  length  some  of  the  horsemen  were  seen,  at  a  great  distance 
beyond  a  more  shallow  dell,  driving  before  them  a  herd  of  cat- 
tle ;  and  rescued  at  length  from  the  dangerous  position  in  which 
we  had  been,  destitute  as  w^e  were  of  any  sufficient  protection, 
we  hastened  to  cross  the  valley,  and  to  join  our  more  warlike 
and  experienced  friends.  Falling  in  with  them,  we  went  to- 
gether to  a  place  a  little  further  down  this  w^ide,  flat  valley, 
where  there  were  a  small  hamlet  and  stubble-fields.  Here  at 
length  I  hoped  to  get  a  little  rest,  and  lay  down  in  the  scanty 
shade  of  a  talha ;  but,  unfortunately,  there  was  no  well  here, 
and,  after  a  very  short  halt  and  a  consultation,  the  order  was 
given  to  proceed.  I  was  scarcely  able  to  mount  my  horse  again 
and  to  follow  the  troop.  The  Arabs  called  this  valley,  which 
was  very  flat  and  produced  no  date-trees,  Wadi  el  Ghazal,  but 
what  its  real  name  is  I  did  not  learn  ;  it  has,  of  course,  nothing 
to  do  with  the  celebrated  and  larger  valley  of  this  name.  The 
well  was  not  far  off",  in  another  fine  valley,  or  rather  hollow, 
deeper  than  Wadi  el  Ghazal,  but  much  flatter  than  either  Sig- 
gesi  or  Gesgi,  and  called  Msallat  or  Amsallat.  It  was  adorned 
with  a  wild  profusion  of  mimosa,  and  in  its  deepest  part  pro- 
vided with  "khattatir"  or  draw-wells,  irrigating  a  fine  planta- 
tion of  cotton,  the  first  we  had  yet  seen  in  Kanem. 

The  Arabs  had  not  made  a  very  considerable  booty,  the 


302 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


AYoglicIa  having  received  intelligence  of  their  approach  and  saved 
what  they  could.  The  whole  result  of  the  expedition  was  fif- 
teen camels,  a  little  more  than  three  hundred  head  of  cattle,  and 
about  fifteen  hundred  sheep  and  goats.  The  Arabs  were  for 
some  time  in  great  anxiety  about  Ghet,  and  a  party  of  horse- 
men who  had  gone  with  him  to  a  greater  distance ;  but  he  join- 
ed us  here,  driving  before  him  a  large  flock  of  sheep.  We  were 
busy  watering  our  horses,  and  providing  ourselves  with  this 
necessary  element.  But  there  was  not  much  leisure  ;  for  scarce- 
ly had  we  begun  to  draw  water,  when  the  alarm  was  given  that 
the  Woghda  were  attacking  us,  and  three  bodies  of  horsemen 
were  formed  in  order  to  protect  the  train  and  the  booty.  The 
main  body  rushed  out  of  the  valley  on  the  southeast  side,  and 
drove  the  enemy  back  to  a  considerable  distance;  but  the  in- 
tention of  encamping  on  the  slope  near  this  w^ell  was  given  up 
as  too  dangerous,  and  it  was  decided  to  go  to  a  greater  distance, 
though  the  intention  of  penetrating  to  M'awo  seemed  not  as  yet 
entirely  to  be  abandoned.  It  took  us  a  considerable  time  to  get 
out  of  this  wooded  valley,  the  Arabs  being  afraid  of  being  attack- 
ed and  losing  their  booty. 

At  length,  the  cattle  and  flocks  having  been  driven  in  advance, 
we  started,  and,  leaving  the  vale,  ascended  elevated  rocky  ground, 
from  which,  following  a  southwesterly  direction,  we  descended, 
a  little  before  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  into  the  narrower 
eastern  part  of  a  deep  and  beautiful  valley,  wdiich  here  is  adorn- 
ed by  a  pretty  grove  of  date-trees,  while  its  western  part  expands 
into  fine  cultivated  ground.  Here  we  made  a  halt  of  about  half 
an  hour,  in  order  to  water  the  animals  and  replenish  our  skins; 
for  not  even  here  was  it  thought  advisable  to  encamp,  as  it  is 
regarded  as  a  very  inauspicious  place,  this  being  the  spot  where, 
in  1850,  the  Kel-owi  fell  upon  the  Welad  Sliman  and  almost 
exterminated  them.  After  so  short  a  halt  we  again  pursued  our 
march.  I  was  now  so  totally  exhausted  that  I  was  obliged  to 
dismount  at  short  intervals  and  lie  down  for  a  moment ;  and 
once,  when  left  alone,  it  was  only  with  the  utmost  exertion  that 
I  was  able  to  mount  my  horse  again  ;  but  nevertheless  I  man- 
aged to  drag  myself  along.    At  length,  about  sunset,  we  chose 


VISITED  BY  THE  KEGHA'MMA.  303 

a  place  for  our  encampment  on  the  brow  of  the  slope  descend- 
ing into  a  deep  valley.  Having  now  been  thirty-four  hours  on 
horseback  with  only  short  and  insufficient  intervals,  I  fell  sense- 
less to  the  ground,  and  was  considered  by  Mr.  Overweg  and  our 
people  as  about  to  breathe  my  last.  But  after  an  hour's  repose 
I  recovered  a  little,  and,  having  had  a  good  night's  rest,  felt  my- 
self much  stronger  on  the  following  morning,  so  that  I  could 
even  undergo  some  exertion  which  was  not  exactly  necessary. 

Monday^  October  20th.  Descended  with  our  people  into  the 
valley  when  they  went  to  fetch  water.  It  is  called  A^lali  A^dia, 
or  Jerad,  from  a  small  hamlet  lying  on  the  highest  ground,  and 
called  A^lali.  The  well  was  very  rich  and  plentiful ;  but  no 
traces  of  cultivation  appeared  at  the  foot  of  the  date-trees.  The 
slope  was  rather  steep,  and  about  130  feet  high.  The  Arabs, 
who  had  contracted  their  encampment  or  "dowar"  within  the 
smallest  possible  compass,  barricading  it  with  their  baggage,  as 
all  the  empty  bags  which  they  had  taken  with  them  on  the  ex- 
pedition were  now  full  of  corn  from  the  magazines  of  the  ene- 
my, were  not  at  all  at  their  ease,  and  seemed  not  to  know  exactly 
what  course  to  take,  whether  to  penetrate  further  in  advance  oi 
to  return.  Several  Fugabu  and  people  belonging  to  Halluf 
came  to  j)ay  their  respects  to  Sheikh  Gliet ;  and  a  person  of 
considerable  authority,  called  Keghamma,  or  rather  Kegham- 
ma-futebe  (Seraskier  of  the  West),  the  very  man  of  whom  wc 
before  had  heard  so  much  talk,  came  also  and  paid  me  a  visit 
in  my  tent ;  for,  being  in  a  weak  state,  I  had  been  obliged,  when 
the  sun  became  oppressive,  to  pitch  my  tent,  as  there  -was  no 
shade.  There  being  no  othei  tent  in  the  encampment,  I  received 
visits  from  several  parties  who  wished  to  breakfast  a  little  at 
their  ease,  and  among  others  from  a  man  called  Kedel  Batram, 
Halluf 's  brother.  Keghamma  stated  that  he  was  certainly  able 
to  bring  us  to  Karka ;  but  this  was  a  mere  pretense,  and  he 
himself  retracted  his  promise  shortly  afterward  before  the  sheikh. 
Our  cherished  object  lay  still  before  us,  at  a  considerable  dis 
tance ;  but  our  friend  Ghet  thought  that  he  had  brought  us  al- 
ready far  enough  to  deserve  some  more  presents,  and  plainly  in- 
timated as  much  to  us  through  'Abd-Allah.    Fortunately,  I  had 


304  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

a  liandsome  yellow  clotli  caftan  with  me,  embroidered  with  gold, 
and  toward  evening,  when  I  had  recovered  from  a  severe  ht  of 
fever  which  had  suddenly  attacked  me  in  the  afternoon,  we  went 
to  pay  our  compliments  to  the  chief,  and  begged  him  to  accept 
of  it ;  at  the  same  time  we  told  him  we  should  be  satisfied  if 
we  were  enabled  to  visit  the  district  belonging  to  the  kegliam- 
ma.  But  the  situation  of  the  Arabs  soon  became  more  danger- 
ous, and  nothing  was  thought  of  but  to  retrace  our  steps  west- 
ward with  the  greatest  possible  expedition. 

I  was  lying  sleepless  in  my  tent,  in  a  rather  weak  state,  hav- 
ing scarcely  tasted  any  kind  of  food  for  the  last  few  days  on 
account  of  my  feverish  state,  when,  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
night,  a  great  alarm  was  raised  in  the  camp,  and  I  heard  the 
Arabs  mount  their  horses  and  ride  about  in  several  detachments, 
raising  their  usual  war-cry,  "  ya  riyab,  ya  riyab  but  I  remain- 
ed quietly  on  my  mat,  and  was  not  even  roused  from  my  leth- 
argical state  when  I  received  the  intelligence  that  a  numerous 
hostile  army,  consisting  of  the  Woghda,  the  Medele,  the  Shiri, 
and  the  people  of  the  Eastern  Keghamma,  was  advancing  against 
the  camp.  I  received  this  news  with  that  indifference  with 
which  a  sick  and  exhausted  man  regards  even  the  most  import- 
ant events.  jSTeither  did  I  stir  when,  with  the  first  dawn  of  day 
on  the  21st,  the  enemy  having  actually  arrived  within  a  short 
distance,  our  friends  left  the  camp  in  order  to  ofter  battle.  I 
heard  about  ten  shots  fired,  but  did  not  think  that  the  Arabs 
would  be  beaten.  Suddenly  Overweg,  who  had  saddled  his 
horse  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  alarm,  called  out  anxiously 
to  me  that  our  friends  were  defeated,  and,  mounting  his  horse, 
started  off  at  a  gallop.  My  mounted  servant,  Bu-Zed,  had  long 
taken  to  his  heels  ;  and  thus,  while  Mohammed  was  hastily  sad- 
dling my  horse,  I  flung  my  bernus  over  me,  and  grasping  my 
pistols  and  gun,  and  throwing  my  double  sack  over  the  saddle, 
I  mounted  and  started  off  toward  the  west,  ordering  Moham- 
med to  cling  fast  to  my  horse's  tail.  It  was  the  very  last  mo- 
ment, for  at  the  same  time  the  enemy  began  to  attack  the  east 
side  of  the  camp.  All  the  people  had  fled,  and  I  saw  only  the 
chief  slave  of  Ghet,  who,  with  great  anxiety,  entreated  me  to 


CAMP  TAKEN. 


305 


take  his  master's  state  sword  with  me,  that  it  might  not  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

But  I  had  not  gone  a  great  distance  when  I  heard  firing  close 
behind  me,  and,  turning  round,  saw  the  Arab  horsemen  rallying, 
and  with  the  cry  "He  keleb,  keleb,''  turn  round  against  the 
enemy,  who  had  dispersed  in  order  to  collect  the  spoil.  I  went 
on  in  order  to  inform  J^Ir.  Overweg,  who,  together  with  the 
Arabs  who  were  mounted  on  camels,  and  even  several  horse- 
men, had  fled  to  some  distance  and  posted  themselves  on  a  hill. 
Assuring  him  that  the  danger  was  over,  I  returned  with  him  to 
the  camp,  where  we  were  rather  surprised  to  find  that  not  only 
all  our  luggage  w^as  gone,  but  that  not  even  a  vestige  of  my 
tent  was  left. 

The  enemy,  attracted  only  by  the  English  tent  and  Sheikh 
Ghet's  baggage,  had  scarcely  touched  the  effects  of  the  other 
people,  but  considered  my  tent  as  a  fair  prize  and  ran  away 
with  it.  But  the  Arabs  pursuing  them,  we  got  back  most  of 
our  things.  A  leathern  English  bag  of  mine,  which  contained 
some  articles  of  value,  had  been  cut  open,  just,  as  it  seemed,  at 
the  mom.ent  when  our  friends  came  up  with  the  enemy.  Our 
chief  loss  consisted  in  our  cooking  utensils  and  provisions ;  I 
also  much  regretted  the  loss  of  an  English  prayer-book  which 
had  belonged  to  Mr.  Richardson.  Four  of  the  Arabs  had  been 
killed,  and  thirty-four  of  the  enemy.  Mr.  Overweg  was  busily 
employed  in  dressing  some  severe  wounds  inflicted  on  our  friends. 
The  Arabs  were  furious  at  the  insolence,  as  they  called  it,  of 
the  enemy,  who  had  dared  to  attack  them  in  their  own  encamp- 
ment, and  they  swore  they  would  now  go  and  burn  down  all 
their  hamlets  and  their  corn.  The  horsemen  actually  left,  but 
returned  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon  rather  silently,  with  a 
sullen  face  and  unfavorable  tidings,  and  before  sunset  they  were 
once  more  obliged  to  defend  their  own  encampment  against  an- 
other attack  of  the  energetic  natives  ;  they,  however,  succeeded 
in  beating  them  ofl".  Halluf  distinguished  himself  greatly  by 
his  valor,  killing  three  or  four  of  the  enemy  with  his  own  hand. 

But,  notwithstanding  this  little  victory,  the  forebodings  for 
the  night  were  very  unfavorable,  and  our  friends  would  certain- 

VOL.  II.— U 


306 


TllAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


ly  have  decamped  immediately  if  they  had  not  been  afraid  that 
in  the  darkness  of  the  night  the  greater  part  might  take  to  their 
heels,  and  that  a  shameful  flight  would  be  followed  by  great 
loss  of  life  and  property.  Accordingly,  they  determined  to  re- 
main till  the  next  morning.  But  an  anxious  and  restless  night 
it  was ;  for  they  had  received  authentic  news  that  a  body  of 
from  thirty  to  forty  Waday  horsemen  were  to  join  their  ene- 
mies that  night,  and  to  make  a  joint  and  last  attack  upon  them, 
and  they  were  well  aware  that  the  enemy  had  only  been  beaten 
from  want  of  horses.  All  the  horses  remained  saddled,  and  the 
whole  night  they  sounded  the  watch-cry  ;  but  the  most  restless 
was  the  renegade  Jew  'Abd-Allah,  who  felt  convinced  that  this 
would  be  his  last  night,  and  was  most  anxious  to  get  a  razor  in 
order  to  shave  his  head  before  the  hour  of  death. 

October  22d,  The  night  passed  on  without  the  enemy  appear- 
ing, and  with  the  dawn  of  day  the  sign  for  decamping  was  giv- 
en, when  every  body  endeavored  to  get  in  advance  of  his  neigh- 
bor. The  enemy,  as  w^as  positively  stated  afterward,  arrived 
there  about  an  hour  later,  but,  seeing  that  we  were  gone,  did 
not  choose  to  pursue  ns. 

Thus  we  left  the  most  interesting  part  of  Kanem  behind  us, 
the  country  once  so  thickly  studded  with  large,  populous,  and 
celebrated  towns,  such  as  Nijimiye,  Aghafi,  and  all  those  places 
which  I  shall  describe  in  the  Appendix  from  the  account  of  the 
expeditions  of  Edris  Alawoma,  with  many  rich  valleys  full  of 
date-trees. 

Keeping  first  in  a  westerly,  and  afterward  in  a  m6re  south- 
westerly direction,  through  a  rather  uninteresting  country,  wc 
arrived  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  in  a  wide  vale  called 
Takulum,  full  of  rich  succulent  herbage  and  fine  trees,  where,  it 
being  supposed  that  we  were  out  of  danger,  it  was  decided  to 
give  the  horses  and  camels  a  feed  after  having  watered  them. 
I,  for  my  part,  was  extremely  thankful  for  getting  a  few  hours' 
rest  in  the  shade  of  a  venerable  acacia,  near  the  gentle  slope 
surrounding  the  hollow.  But  just  in  the  greatest  heat  of  the 
day  we  left  this  pleasant  resting-place,  near  which  is  the  ordi- 
nary residence  of  the  keghamma,  in  the  valley  Karafu,  and  fol- 


DISTRICT  OF  SHITA'TI. 


307 


lowed  a  more  northwesterly  direction,  ascending  gradually  from 
the  vale,  and  entering  a  well-wooded  district,  where  all  the  grass 
had  recently  been  burned,  or  was  still  burning  ;  and  in  one  place 
it  w^as  even  with  some  danger  that  we  found  our  way  through 
the  flames.  This  burning  of  the  grass,  as  I  have  stated  above, 
seems  to  be  a  general  practice  all  over  Negroland. 

Toward  evening  the  country  became  quite  open,  and  ahead 
of  us  a  small  range  was  seen,  at  the  western  foot  of  which  our 
resting-place  was  said  to  be ;  but  it  seemed  very  distant,  and 
it  was  quite  dark  when  we  made  halt  in  two  separate  encamp- 
ments, not  being  able  to  reach  the  point  of  destination.  Our 
supper  w^as  very  simple  indeed ;  for,  having  lost  all  our  provi- 
sions at  the  taking  of  the  camp  at  A^lali,  we  were  obliged  to 
content  ourselves  with  a  few  bad  dates,  the  only  thing  we  were 
able  to  obtain  from  our  friend  Sheikh  Ghet. 

Thitrsday^  October  23d.  While  our  camels  and  people  kept 
along  the  direct  road,  together  with  the  train  and  part  of  the 
horsemen-  Overweg  and  I,  following  Sheikh  Ghet  and  his  troop, 
took  a  more  northerly  direction,  and  passed  the  heat  of  the  day 
in  a  fine  valley.  It  was  certainly  one  of  the  finest  vales  we  had 
seen  in  the  country,  except  that  it  did  not  produce  date-trees ; 
but  the  district  of  Shitati,  which  we  again  had  entered  here, 
seems  not  to  be  favorable  for  that  tree,  while  Shiri  and  the  neigh- 
borhood of  M'awo  is  very  productive  in  date-trees.  Part  of  the 
bottom  was  laid  out  in  corn-fields,  irrigated  from  Khattatir, 
near  which  some  huts  were  standing,  Avhile  a  larger  village,  at 
present  deserted,  is  situated  on  the  brow  of  the  slope  dominating 
the  valley.  It  is  called  Burka-drusso  or  Burka-drusto.  Here 
w^e  enjoyed  a  few  hours  of  tranquil  repose  ;  but  w^ith  the  excep- 
tion of  this  our  enjoyment  was  very  scanty,  having  nothing  to 
breakfast  upon  but  a  handful  of  dates  and  some  water.  But  our 
material  wants  w^ere  inconsiderable  in  comparison  with  the  dis- 
appointment which  we  felt,  as  w^e  clearly  saw  that  all  hope  of 
reaching  the  Bahar  el  Ghazal,  or  even  M'awo,  was  to  be  given 
up  ;  and  the  hope  of  attaining  these  districts  had  been  the  only 
reason  which  had  induced  us  to  join  our  fate  with  this  band  of 
freebooters.    We  had  spent  all  the  property  that  remained  to 


308 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


US  to  enable  us  to  undertake  this  expedition,  and  our  reflections, 
therefore,  were  far  from  pleasant. 

When  the  heat  of  the  day  had  passed  by,  the  Arabs  pursued 
their  marcli,  and  we  followed  them,reascending  the  higher  level, 
and  marching  over  a  pleasant  country  well  adorned  with  trees 
and  bushes,  while  we  left  a  hollow  called  Nukko  on  our  left — 
one  of  the  three  vales  of  Shitati  which  bear  this  name — and  far- 
ther on  crossing  another  one  called  Arnanko.  When  night  ap- 
proached, our  companions  began  to  put  their  horses  in  a  gallop 
in  order  to  arrive  betimes,  while  we  preferred  going  on  more 
slowly. 

The  country  here  became  more  undulating,  and  afterward  even 
rugged,  and  we  made  our  way  as  well  as  we  could  in  the  dark, 
stumbling  along  over  a  rugged  ground  in  a  northwesterly  direc- 
tion, and  were  not  a  little  delighted  when  at  length  we  saw  the 
fires  of  the  encampment,  which  this  time  had  not  been  pitched 
on  the  highest  level,  but  rather  in  a  hollow  not  far  from  the  well. 
Its  name  is  Bi'r  el  Hamesh,  or  Yegil,  or,  as  it  is  generally  pro- 
nounced, Yiggeli.  We  were  the  more  delighted  to  reach  it,  as 
we  found  here  not  only  all  our  people  and  luggage,  but  also  pro- 
visions, and  we  were  nearly  famished.  Of  course,  we  were  most 
cheerfully  hailed  by  those  of  our  servants  whom,  with  the  re- 
mainder of  the  Arabs,  we  had  left  at  the  Bir  el  Kurna,  and  who 
had  felt  the  greatest  anxiety  about  our  safety  on  account  of  the 
many  unfavorable  rumors  which  had  reached  them  with  regard 
to  the  proceedings  and  sufferings  of  our  party.  They  had  trans- 
ported the  camp  from  Bir  el  Kurna  to  this  place  several  days 
previously,  and  were  looking  forward  to  our  return  most  anx- 
iously. 

We  immediately  attacked  a  bowl  of  camel's  milk,  and,  thus 
materially  comforted,  rested  outside  our  tents,  enjoying  the  fresh- 
ness of  the  evening.  The  camp,  or  dowar,  was  rather  narrow, 
being  encumbered  by  the  booty  which  had  been  taken  from  the 
enemy ;  and  the  people,  dreading  lest  the  enemy  might  follow 
them,  all  huddled  closely  together,  and  kept  strict  watch.  In 
such  circumstances,  the  wailings  of  the  women  over  the  dead, 
which  sounded  through  the  night,  accompanied  by  loud,  mourn- 


WA'DA  Y  HORSEMEN. 


309 


ful  strokes  on  the  great  drum,  could  not  fail  to  make  a  deep  im- 
pression. However,  we  passed  here  tranquilly  the  following 
day,  and  enjoyed  rest  and  repose  the  more  as  the  weather  was 
very  oppressive. 

We  received  here  the  positive  news  that  the  Waday  horse- 
men who  had  come  to  the  assistance  of  the  Woghda,  and  had 
caused  the  Arabs  so  much  fear  aud  anxiety  the  day  before,  had 
returned  to  M'awo ;  and  a  very  curious  story  was  told  with  re- 
gard to  them,  which  at  once  shows  how  highly  these  horsemen 
of  Waday  are  respected  by  the  Arabs,  and  the  esteem  which 
they  themselves  entertain  for  the  latter.  Thirty  Waday  horse- 
men were  said  to  have  arrived  with  the  Woghda  in  consequence 
of  their  entreaties,  and  to  have  followed  with  them  the  traces  of 
our  friends,  the  Woghda  representing  to  them  that  many  of  the 
latter  had  been  killed.  Thus  they  arrived  in  the  morning  when 
we  had  just  left  the  camp  at  A^lali,  and  the  dust  raised  by  our 
host  was  plainly  visible  in  the  distance  ;  but  when  the  Woghda 
instigated  the  Waday  people  to  go  and  attack  that  host,  they 
wanted  to  assure  themselves  how  many  Arabs  had  fallen  in  the 
last  battle,  in  which  thirty-four  of  the  Woghda  were  said  to 
have  been  slain,  and  w^hen  they  found  only  two  tombs,  the  lat- 
ter told  them  that  in  each  there  were  ten  bodies;  but  the  Wa- 
day people,  being  anxious  to  make  sure  of  the  valor  of  their 
friends,  had  the  tombs  dug  up,  and  found  only  two  buried  in 
each.  Whereupon  they  stigmatized  the  Woghda  as  Hars,  and 
felt  little  inclined  to  follow  the  valiant  robbers  who  had  killed 
so  many  of  the  enemy,  while  they  had  lost  so  few  of  their  own. 
But  this  story  may  have  been  adorned  by  our  friends  the  We- 
lad  Sliman,  who  could  not  even  deny  that,  besides  a  great  deal 
of  other  booty  from  their  own  camp,  which  the  enemy  had  suc- 
ceeded in  carrying  away,  the  chief  of  the  Woghda  could  pride 
himself  on  the  red  bernus  which  w^e  had  given  as  a  present  to 
Sheikh  Ghet ;  nay,  he  could  even  boast  of  four  horses  taken 
from  the  Arabs. 

Sunday^  October  2Qth.  This  and  the  following  day  the  Arabs 
were  all  busy  in  writing,  or  getting  letters  written  to  Kiikawa, 
as  a  courier  was  to  leave.    I  myself  was  almost  the  only  per- 


310 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


son  wlio  did  not  get  a  note  ready,  for  I  could  not  muster  suffi- 
cient energy  to  write  a  letter.  Had  I  been  strong  enough,  1 
should  have  had  sufficient  leisure  to  make  up  the  whole  journal 
of  my  excursion  to  the  eastern  parts  of  Kanem ;  but  I  was  quite 
unable,  and  the  consequence  was  that  this  part  of  my  diary  al- 
.vrays  remained  in  a  very  rough  state.  Sheikh  Ghet,  who 
thought  that  w^e  were  greatly  indebted  to  him  for  having  seen 
so  much  of  the  country,  sent  for  a  variety  of  things ;  but  we 
were  only  able  to  comply  with  very  few  of  his  wishes.  On 
our  telling  him  that  we  were  not  at  all  satisfied  with  what  we 
had  seen,  and  that,  in  order  not  to  waste  more  time,  we  had  the 
strongest  wish  to  return  to  Kukawa  as  soon  as  possible,  he 
wanted  to  persuade  us  that  he  himself  was  to  leave  for  the  cap- 
ital of  Bornu  in  five  or  six  days.  But  we  prudently  chose  to 
provide  for  ourselves,  and  not  rely  upon  his  promise. 

Monday^  October  '21th.  The  courier  for  Kukawa  left  in  the 
morning,  and  in  the  evening  a  party  of  freebooters  made  an  at- 
tack upon  the  camels  of  the  Arabs,  but,  being  pursued  by  the 
horsemen,  whose  great  merit  it  is  to  be  ready  for  every  emer- 
gency, they  were  obliged  to  leave  their  booty,  and  be  contented 
to  escape  with  their  lives.  The  vale  in  which  the  well  is  situ- 
ated is  rather  more  exuberant  than  is  the  case  generally,  and  there 
were  several  pools  of  stagnant  water,  from  which  the  cattle  were 
Avatered.  There  was  even  a  real  jungle,  and  here  and  there  the 
den  of  a  ferocious  lion,  who  did  not  fail  to  levy  his  tribute  on 
the  various  species  of  animal  property  of  our  friends,  and  evinced 
rather  a  fancy  for  giving  some  little  variety  to  his  meals,  for  a 
horse,  a.  camel,  and  a  bullock  became  his  prey. 

Tuesday^  October  28t/i.  Seeing  that  there  was  a  caravan  of 
people  forming  to  go  to  Kukawa,  while  the  Arabs  intended  once 
more  to  return  to  Burka-drusso,  we  at  once  went  to  the  chief  to 
inform  him  that  we  had  made  up  our  minds  to  go  with  the  car- 
avan. A  chief  of  the  Haddada,  or  rather  Bungo,  arrived  with 
offerings  of  peace  on  the  part  of  the  Shiri,  and  came  to  see  us, 
together  with  the  chief  mentioned  above,  Kedl  Batram,  who  was 
the  father-in-law  of  the  khalifa  of  M'awo  ;  Kobber,  or  rather  the 
head  man  of  the  Kobber,  and  other  great  men  of  the  Fugabu; 


DEPARTURE  OF  THE  CARAVAN. 


311 


and  I  amused  them  with  my  musical  box.  Overweg  and  I,  dis- 
appointed in  our  expectations  of  penetrating  farther  eastward, 
prepared  for  our  return  journey,  and  I  bought  a  small  skin  of 
tolerable  dates  for  half  a  turkedi,  while  to  'Abd-Allah,  who  had 
been  our  mediator  with  the  chief,  I  made  a  present  of  a  jerid,  in 
order  not  to  remain  his  debtor. 

All  this  time  I  felt  very  unwell,  which  I  attribute  principally 
to  the  great  changes  of  atmosphere,  the  nights  being  cool  and 
the  days  very  warm. 

Friday^  October  ZXst.  Though  we  were  determined  to  return 
to  Kukawa,  we  had  yet  once  more  to  go  eastward.  The  Arabs 
removed  their  encampment  to  Arnanko,  the  hollow  which  we 
passed  on  our  way  from  Burka-drusso  to  Yegil.  There  had 
been  a  great  deal  of  uncertainty  and  dispute  among  them  with 
reference  to  the  place  which  they  were  to  choose  for  their  en- 
campment ;  but  though,  on  the  following  day,  very  unfavorable 
news  was  brought  with  regard  to  the  security  of  the  road  to 
B6rnu,the  departure  of  the  caravan  nevertheless  remained  fixed 
for  the  2d  of  November ;  for  in  the  morning  one  of  the  Welad 
Sliman  arrived  from  Kukawa,  accompanied  by  two  horsemen, 
bringing  letters  from  the  vizier,  requesting  the  Arabs,  in  the 
most  urgent  terms,  to  remove  their  encampment  without  delay 
to  Keskawa,  on  tiie  shore  of  the  lake,  whither  he  Avould  not  fail 
to  send  the  whole  remainder  of  their  tribe,  who  at  that  time 
were  residing  in  Kukawa,  for  he  had  positive  news,  he  assured 
them,  that  the  Tawarek  were  meditating  another  expedition 
against  them  on  a  large  scale. 

The  report  seemed  not  without  foundation,  for  the  three  mes- 
sengers had  actually  met,  on  their  road  between  Barrowa  and 
Ngegimi,  a  party  of  ten  Tawarek,  three  on  foot  and  the  rest  on 
liorseback,  and  had  only  escaped  by  retreating  into  the  swamps 
formed  by  the  lake.  This  news,  of  course,  spread  considerable 
anxiety  among  the  Arabs,  who  were  still  more  harassed  the  same 
day  by  information  received  to  the  effect  that  a  party  of  fifteen 
Waday  horsemen  were  lying  in  ambush  in  a  neighboring  valley; 
and  a  body  of  horsemen  were  accordingly  sent  out  to  scour  the 
country,  but  returned  without  having  seen  any  body. 


312 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Sunday,  Ifovemher  Id.  The  day  of  our  departure  from  Ka- 
nem  at  length  arrived.  Sorry  as  we  were  to  leave  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  lake  unexplored,  we  convinced  ourselves  that  the 
character  of  our  mission  did  not  allow  us  to  risk  our  fate  any 
longer  by  accompanying  these  freebooters.*  The  camels  we 
had  taken  with  us  on  this  expedition  were  so  worn  out  that 
they  were  unable  to  carry  even  the  little  luggage  we  had  left, 
and  Sheikh  Ghet  made  us  a  present  of  two  camels,  which,  how- 
ever, only  proved  sufficient  for  the  short  journey  to  Kukawa, 
for  the  one  fell  a  few  paces  from  the  northern  gate  on  reaching 
the  town,  and  the  other  a  short  distance  from  the  southern  gate 
on  leaving  it  again  on  our  expedition  to  Musgu. 

The  caravan  with  which  we  were  to  proceed  was  numerous, 
but  the  whole  of  the  people  were  Kanembu,  who  carried  their 
little  luggage  on  pack-oxen  and  a  few  camels,  while  besides  our- 
selves there  were  only  two  horsemen.  But  there  were  some 
respectable  people  among  them,  and  even  some  women  richly 
adorned  with  beads,  and  with  their  fine,  regular  features  and 
slender  forms,  forming  a  strong  contrast  to  the  ugly  physiogno- 
my and  square  forms  of  the  Bornu  females.  The  difference  be- 
tween the  Bornu  and  Kanembu  is  remarkable,  although  it  is 
difficult  to  account  for  it  by  historical  deduction. 
^  We  were  so  fortunate  as  to  perform  our  home-journey  witli- 
out  any  serious  accident,  although  we  had  some  slight  alarms. 
The  first  of  these  occurred  when  we  approached  the  town  of 
Beri,  and  found  all  the  inhabitants  drawn  up  in  battle  array  at 
a  narrow  passage  some  distance  from  the  town  ;  and  at  the  first 
moment  there  was  considerable  alarm  on  both  sides ;  but  we 

*  The  information  which,  in  the  weak  and  exhausted  state  I  was  then  reduced 
to,  and  under  the  unfavorable  circumstances  in  which  I  was  placed  as  a  hostile 
intruder,  I  was  able  to  collect  with  regard  to  this  country — once  the  mighty  and 
populous  kingdom  of  Kanem,  and  now  reduced  to  the  desolate  abode  of  the 
scanty  remnants  of  the  former  native  population  preyed  upon  every  day  by  rov- 
ing and  lawless  tribes  from  different  quarters — I  shall  put  together  in  an  Ap- 
pendix (II.)  at  the  end  of  this  volume,  as  well  as  the  interesting  geographical 
details  with  regard  to  Kanem  in  its  flourishing  state,  as  they  are  to  be  gleaned 
from  the  historical  work  of  Imam  Ahmed  (Appendix  III.)-  The  dates  of  the 
earlier  history  of  Kanem,  as  far  as  they  have  come  to  our  knowledge,  have  been 
detailed  in  a  former  chapter. 


ALARMS. 


315 


soon  learned  that  they  had  taken  us  for  Tawarek,  of  whom  a 
numerous  freebooting  party,  consisting  of  200  camels  and  about 
as  many  horses,  had  a  short  time  previously  carried  away  all 
the  cattle  belonging  to  the  place.  The  state  of  the  country  was 
so  insecure  that  the  inhabitants  would  not  allow  ]\Ir.  Overweg 
to  stay  here,  notwithstanding  his  earnest  protestations,  so  that 
he  was  obliged  to  make  up  his  mind  to  proceed  with  the  cara- 
van, although  he  was  sensible  of  the  danger  connected  with 
such  an  undertaking ;  and  certainly,  if  we  had  met  with  a  tol- 
erably strong  party  of  the  Tawarek,  our  companions  would  have 
afforded  us  very  little  protection.  We  w^ere  so  fortunate,  how- 
ever, as  to  pass  through  this  infested  track  just  at  the  time 
when  an  expedition,  laden  with  booty,  had  returned  homeward. 

We,  however,  met  more  than  forty  Budduma  half  a  day's 
journey  beyond  Ngegimi,  armed  with  spears  and  shields,  and 
clad  in  nothing  but  their  leather  apron.  They  had  been  occu- 
pied in  preparing  salt  from  the  roots  of  the  siwak  or  Caj)pa7is 
sodata  ;  and  when  they  saw  the  first  part  of  our  caravan  com- 
ing through  the  thick  forest,  they  commenced  an  attack,  so  that 
Overweg  and  I  were  obliged  to  fire  a  few  random  shots  over 
their  Iieads,  when,  seeing  that  we  were  stronger  than  they  had 
supposed,  and  recognizing  some  friends  among  the  Kanembu, 
they  allowed  us  to  pass  unmolested.  But  our  whole  march  from 
N2;eo:imi  to  Barrowa,  throup'h  the  thick  underwood  with  wliich 
the  shores  of  the  lake  are  here  overgrown,  resembled  rather  a 
flight  than  any  thing  else. 

On  the  10th  we  reached  the  koraadugu,  and  after  some  lively 
negotiation  with  the  governor  or  shitima,  who  resides  in  the 
town  of  Y6,  I  and  my  companion  were  allowed  to  cross  the 
river  the  same  afternoon ;  for  it  has  become  the  custom  with 
the  rulers  of  Bornu  to  use  the  river  as  a  sort  of  political  quar- 
antine— a  proceeding  which,  of  course,  they  can  only  adopt  as 
long  as  the  river  is  full.  During  the  greater  part  of  the  year 
every  body  can  pass  at  pleasure.  Even  after  we  had  crossed 
we  were  not  allowed  to  continue  our  journey  to  the  capital  be- 
fore the  messenger,  who  had  been  sent  there  to  announce  our 
arrival,  had  returned  with  the  express  permission  that  we  might 


316 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


go  on.  The  shores  round  the  komadugu  were  greatly  changed, 
the  river  being  now  at  its  highest.  Extensive  patches  were 
cultivated  with  wheat,  being  regularly  laid  out  in  small  quad- 
rangular beds  of  from  four  to  five  feet  in  diameter,  which  were 
watered  morning  and  evening  from  the  river  by  means  of  buck- 
ets and  channels. 

We  reached  Kukawa  on  the  14th,  having  met  on  the  road  ii 
party  of  about  fifty  Welad  Slimaii,  who  were  proceeding  to  join 
their  companions  in  Kanem.  We  were  well  received  by  our 
host,  the  Vizier  of  Bornu. 

We  had  already  heard  from  the  Governor  'of  Yo  that  the 
sheikh  and  his  vizier  were  about  to  leave  in  a  few  days  on  an 
expedition  ;  and,  being  desirous  of  employing  every  means  of 
becoming  acquainted  with  new  regions  of  this  continent,  we 
could  not  but  avail  ourselves  of  this  opportunity,  however  diffi- 
cult it  was  for  us,  owing  to  our  entire  want  of  means,  to  make 
the  necessary  preparations  for  another  campaign,  and  although 
the  destination  of  the  expedition  was  not  quite  certain. 


CHAPTER  XLIL 

WARLIKE  PREPARATIONS  AGAINST  MaNDARa. 

November  26th,  1851.  Ten  days  after  haying  returned  to  our 
head-quarters  from  the  wearisome  journey  to  Kanem,  I  left 
Kukawa  again  in  order  to  join  a  new  warlike  expedition. 

The  sheikh  and  his  vizier,  with  the  chief  part  of  the  army, 
had  set  out  already  the  previous  Saturday.  The  route  had  not 
yet  been  determined  upon — it  was,  at  least,  not  generally  known ; 
but  Wandala,  or,  as  the  Kanuri  call  it,  Mandara,  was  mentioned 
as  the  direct  object  of  the  march,  in  order  to  enforce  obedience 
from  the  prince  of  that  small  country,  who,  protected  by  its 
mountains,  had  behaved  in  a  refractory  manner.  The  chief  mo- 
tive of  the  enterprise,  however,  consisted  in  the  circumstance  of 
the  coffers  and  slave-rooms  of  the  great  men  being  empty ;  and. 


ANOTHER  EXPEDITION.  317 

a  new  supply  being  wanted,  from  whence  to  obtain  it  was  a 
question  of  minor  importance.  There  was  just  then  much  talk 
about  a  final  rupture  between  'Abd  e'  Eahman  and  the  vizier, 
the  former  having  intimate  relations  with  the  Prince  of  Mandara ; 
and  it  was  for  that  reason  that  Mr.  Overweg  had  at  first  thought 
it  better  to  remain  behind. 

My  means  were  scanty  in  the  extreme,  and  did  not  allow  me 
to  have  a  mounted  servant,  my  camp-followers  consisting  mere- 
ly of  the  same  naga  or  "jige,"  as  the  Kaniiri  call  the  female 
camel,  which  had  proved  of  the  highest  value  to  me  on  the  jour- 
ney to  Kanem,  and  of  two  very  indifferent  Fezzani  lads,  weak 
in  mind  and  body — Mohammed  ben  Habib  and  Mohammed  ben 
Ahmed. 

The  weather  being  temperate,  and  my  spirits  excellent,  I  fol- 
lowed cheerfully  the  Ngornu  road,  with  which  I  was  well  ac- 
quainted. The  country  looked  much  more  interesting  now  than 
three  months  before,  on  my  return  from  A'damawa.  Then  all 
was  dry  and  barren ;  scarcely  a  single  fresh  blade  had  started 
from  the  ground;  and  I  was  obliged  to  draw  with  immense  ex- 
ertion my  supply  of  water  from  a  deep  well  near  Kaine  ;  now 
the  ground  was  covered  with  young  herbs,  the  trees  were  in 
foliage,  and  near  the  very  place  of  Kaine  where  the  sheikh  with 
his  camp-followers  had  rested  the  first  night,  a  large  lake  had 
been  formed  by  the  rains.  This  lake,  which  is  surrounded  by 
shady  trees,  retains  its  water  until  two  or  three  months  after  the 
rainy  season,  when  it  begins  gradually  to  dry  up.  I  was  there- 
fore enabled  to  water  my  horse  without  any  further  trouble, 
after  v/hich  I  followed  my  people,  who  were  in  advance.  Here 
I  met  with  my  friend  Haj  Edris  and  Shitima  Makaremma,  who 
were  just  returning  from  the  camp.  They  told  me  that  the 
sheikh  had  encamped  that  day  at  Kukia,  beyond  Ngornu.  I 
therefore  made  a  short  halt  at  noon  on  this  side  of  that  town,  in 
order  to  reach  the  camp  during  the  evening  without  staying  in 
the  place  ;  for  the  city,  on  all  sides,  at  about  an  hour's  distance, 
is  almost  entirely  surrounded  by  fields  devoid  of  trees.  After  I 
had  enjoyed  about  an  hour's  rest,  Overweg  arrived  with  the  dis- 
agreeable tidings  that  his  camel,  soon  after  leaving  the  gate,  had 


318 


TKAVELS  IN  AFKICA. 


tallen,  and  was  unable  to  get  up  again  even  after  the  luggage 
had  been  removed.  He  therefore  sent  his  servant  Ibrahim  in 
advance,  in  order  to  procure  another  camel  from  the  vizier,  while 
he  remained  with  me.  When  we  set  out  again  we  took  the  di- 
rect route  to  the  camp,  the  road  being  enlivened  by  horsemen, 
camels,  and  pedestrians.  The  country  on  this  side  was  onlv 
cultivated  in  some  places  ;  we  perceived,  however,  two  miles  be- 
hind Ngornu,  a  carefully-kept  cotton-plantation,  and  the  fields 
near  the  village  of  Kukia  were  well  cultivated. 

The  whole  of  this  fertile  plain  became  a  prey  to  the  inunda- 
tions of  the  Tsad  in  the  year  1854,  caused  by  a  sinking  of  the 
ground,  when  the  whole  country  was  changed  in  the  most  mar- 
velous way.  Here  we  obtained  a  first  view  of  the  camp  with 
its  tents ;  but  it  made  no  remarkable  impression  upon  me,  be- 
ing still  in  an  unfinished  state,  including  only  those  people  who 
were  in  the  most  intimate  connection  with  the  court. 

The  "  ngaufate"  having  its  fixed  arrangements,  our  place  was 
assigned  near  the  tents  of  Lamino,  at  some  distance  east  from 
those  of  Haj  Beshir.  As  the  greater  part  of  the  courtiers  were 
taking  at  least  a  portion  of  their  harim  with  them  to  the  "  keri- 
gu,"  a  simple  tent  was  not  sufficient  for  them  ;  but,  by  means 
of  curtains  made  of  striped  cotton  stufi*,  a  certain  space  is  en- 
compassed in  order  to  insure  greater  privacy.  For  the  sheikl; 
and  the  vizier,  as  long  as  Ave  remained  in  the  Bornu  territories, 
at  every  new  encampment  an  inclosure  of  matting  was  erected  : 
for  it  is  not  the  custom,  as  has  been  asserted,  to  separate  the 
royal  camp  from  that  of  the  rest,  at  least  not  on  expeditions  into 
a  hostije  country,  nor  has  it  been  so  in  former  times.  The  com- 
mon soldiers  had  no  further  protection,  except  some  light  and 
small  huts  with  high  gables,  which  some  of  them  had  built  witli 
the  tall  stalks  of  the  Indian  corn,  which  lay  in  great  abundance 
on  the  stubble-fields. 

But  I  shall  first  say  a  few  words  about  our  friend  Lamino. 
whom  I  have  already  occasionally  mentioned,  and  with  whom 
on  this  expedition  we  came  into  closer  contact.  This  man  fur- 
nishes  an  example  how,  in  this  country,  notwithstanding  the  im- 
mense difference  of  civilization,  in  reality  matters  take  tlie  same 


LAMrNO.— ARMY  IN  MOTION. 


319 


course  as  in  Europe,  where  notorious  rogues  and  sharpers  often 
become  the  best  police  functionaries.  Lami'no,  originally  "  El 
Amin,"  had  formerly  been  a  much-dreaded  highway  robber,  but 
had  now  become  chef  de  police^  or,  as  the  Hausa  people  would 
say,  "  serld-n-karfi,"  being,  in  consequence  of  his  hard-hearted- 
ness  and  total  want  of  the  gentler  feelings,  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance to  the  vizier,  whose  mild  character  did  not  allow  him 
personally  to  adopt  severe  measures.  Imprisoning  people  and 
ordering  them  to  be  whipped  constituted  one  of  Lammo's  chief 
pleasures.  He  could,  however,  at  times,  be  very  gentle  and 
amiable ;  and  there  was  nothing  which  afforded  greater  amuse- 
ment to  my  companion  and  me  than  to  hear  him  talk  in  the 
most  sentimental  manner  of  the  favorite  object  of  his  affections, 
a  woman  whom  he  carried  with  him  on  this  expedition.  It 
caused  us  also  great  delight  to  witness  the  terror  he  felt  at  our 
comparing  the  shape  of  the  earth  to  an  ostrich's  egg;  for  he 
seemed  to  be  quite  at  a  loss  to  understand  how  he  should  be 
able  to  preserve  his  balance  on  such  a  globe,  with  his  great 
heaviness  and  clumsiness. 

Wednesday^  November  l^th.  Early  in  the  morning  the  sig- 
nal for  the  decampment  of  the  army  was  given  in  front  of  the 
tent  of  the  sheikh  by  the  sound  of  the  great  drum,  and  in  broad 
battle-array  ("bata")  the  army,  with  its  host  of  cavalry,  moved 
onward  over  the  plain,  which  was  covered  with  tall  reeds,  and 
showed  only  here  and  there  a  few  signs  of  cultivation. 

This  time  I  still  remained  with  the  camels  and  the  train- 
oxen,  which,  mixed  with  pedestrians  and  some  single  horsemen 
in  long  unbounded  lines,  kept  along  the  road,  while  single  troops 
of  Kanembu  spearmen,  in  their  light,  fanciful  garments,  mostly 
consisting  of  a  small  apron  of  rags,  or  a  hide  tied  round  the 
loins,  and  armed  with  their  light  wooden  shields,  passed  the 
luggage-train,  shouting  out  in  their  wild  native  manner.  Thus, 
after  a  march  of  about  eleven  miles,  we  reached  the  cotton-fields 
of  Yedi,  a  town  of  considerable  magnitude,  surrounded  by  a  clay 
wall  in  a  state  of  good  repair.  We  passed  it  on  a  rising  ground 
to  our  left,  while  the  country  on  the  northwestern  side  spread 
out  in  one  continuous  sandy  plain,  dotted  here  and  there  by  a 


820 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


te^y  dum-bushes  (ngille)  and  by  a  few  single  dum-palms.  On 
this  side  of  the  town,  at  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  distance, 
after  the  autumnal  rains,  a  large  pond  is  formed,  on  the  borders 
of  which  gardens  of  onions  are  planted  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Yedi,  and  irrigated  with  the  aid  of  khattatir. 

The  sun  was  intensely  hot,  and  the  heat  at  noon  was  very 
great.  Strange  to  say,  during  all  this  time  I  neglected  to  make 
thermometrical  observations,  and,  as  far  as  I  am  aware,  Over- 
weg  did  not  pay  more  attention  to  this  subject  than  myself; 
but  the  reason  of  this  neglect  was  that  we  usually  started  ear- 
ly in  the  morning,  and  seldom  had  shade  in  the  neighborhood 
of  our  tents  at  noon ;  for  these,  which  by  this  time  were  so 
much  worn  out  that  every  object  inside  cast  a  shadow  as  well 
as  outside,  could  give  us,  of  course,  no  measure  for  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  air. 

Our  protector  Lamino  afterward  sent  us  an  excellent  dish  of 
rice  boiled  in  milk,  and  covered  with  bread  and  honey.  The 
rice  was  of  a  whiteness  unusual  in  this  country.  Having  re- 
ceived likewise  a  dish  of  bread  and  honey  from  the  vizier,  we 
thought  it  our  duty  to  pay  him  a  visit,  and,  through  his  media- 
tion, to  the  sheikh  also.  The  sheikh  had  alighted  at  his  spa- 
cious clay  mansion  outside  the  walls  of  the  city,  and  he  was 
just  occupied  with  granting  a  grand  reception  to  the  towns- 
people. 

After  the  usual  exchange  of  compliments,  our  discourse  turn- 
ed upon  Captain  Denham  (Rais  Khalil),  who  had  once  taken 
the  same  road  in  conjunction  with  Kashella  Barka  Ghana, 
and  with  Bu-Khalum.  On  this  occasion  also  the  manner  in 
which  old  M'allem  Shadeli  or  Chadeli,  then  a  simple  faki,  who 
was  present,  behaved  toward  that  Christian  was  mentioned. 
AVe  related  to  them  what  a  faithful  description  Major  Denham 
had  given,  in  the  narrative  of  his  adventures,  of  the  hostile  dis- 
position of  the  faki,  when  the  old  m'allem,  who  was  now  one  of 
the  grandees  of  the  empire,  in  order  to  revenge  himself  upon 
Major  Denham  and  ourselves,  described  to  the  assembly,  with 
sundry  sarcastic  hints,  how  he  had  seei;i  the  major,  after  his 
shameful  defeat  at  Musfaya,  half  dead  and  stripped  of  his  clothes, 


THE  "FrRKI"  GROUND.— A  QUERY. 


321 


and  exhibiting  to  uninitiated  eyes  all  the  insignia  which  mark 
the  difference  between  the  faithful  and  unfaithful.  The  whole 
spirit  in  which  the  story  was  told  bore  evidence  of  the  enlight- 
ened character  and  the  tolerance  of  these  gentlemen. 

All  the  people  behaved  very  friendly,  and  the  sheikh  sent  us 
in  the  evening  two  sheep,  a  load  of  "  ngaberi"  or  sorghum,  be- 
sides two  dishes  of  prepared  food.  We  were  also  entertained 
by  a  young  musician,  who  had  accompanied  Mr.  Overweg  dur- 
ing his  voyage  on  the  Tsad,  and  in  this  way  there  was  no  end 
of  feasting.  Nor  was  there  any  want  of  intellectual  food,  the 
inquisitive  and  restless  vizier  being  desirous  of  learning  from  us 
as  much  as  possible  on  this  expedition,  where  he  enjoyed  plen- 
ty of  leisure.  Here  w^e  remained  also  the  following  day,  as 
some  more  detachments  were  to  join  the  army.* 

Friday^  November  1%th.  The  ngaufate  advanced  as  far  as  the 
town  of  3Iarte.  Not  far  from  Yedi  there  extends,  in  a  south- 
erly direction,  a  very  expansive  plain  devoid  of  any  sort  of  vege- 
tation except  some  mimosas.  This  is  the  beginning  of  the 
"  f  irki"  ground,  which  comprises  so  large  a  space  in  the  south- 
ern regions  of  Bornu,  and  of  which  I  have  repeatedly  spoken  on 
former  occasions ;  but  the  plantation  of  the  Holcus  cernuus, 
called  "masakwa"  or  "mosoga"  (which  is  limited  to  this  pecul- 
iar territory),  had  not  turned  out  well  this  year,  in  consequence 
of  the  scarcity  of  rain. 

I  had  marched  in  advance  with  my  camel,  when  the  vizier 
got  sight  of  me,  and  begged  me  to  come  to  the  sheikh.  After 
having  saluted  me  in  the  most  friendly  way,  he  asked  me  why 
I  always  wore  my  pistols  in  my  belt  round  the  waist,  instead 
of  fixing  them  at  the  saddle-bow ;  but  he  praised  my  foresight 
when  I  appealed  to  tlie  example  of  Eai's  Khalil,  who,  when 
thrown  from  his  horse,  on  his  unlucky  expedition  to  Mandara, 
remained  without  a  weapon  in  his  hand.  However,  he  was  of 
opinion  that  at  present,  with  such  a  large  army,  no  danger  of 
this  kind  was  to  be  feared.    He  showed  me  also,  in  the  most 

*  Between  Yedi  and  the  Tsad  the  following  places  are  situated :  Lega,  a  con- 
siderable town  surrounded  by  a  wall ;  Dibbuwa,  Jiggeri,  Manawaze,  Gordina,  and 
Mogolam. 

Vol.  II.— X 


322 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


flattering  manner,  that  he  had  imitated  my  example  of  having 
my  chronometer  continually  girded  around  my  waist,  and  he  as- 
sured me  that  he  found  it  very  convenient. 

The  troop  was  here  proceeding  in  stately  order,  and  a  broad 
line  of  battle  deployed,  one  officer,  with  the  title  of  jerma,  rid- 
ing in  advance,  and  being  followed  by  the  four  fan-bearers  of 
the  sheikh  in  full  array ;  but  a  little  farther  on,  a  small  tract 
of  underwood  compelled  them  to  change  their  order  of  march, 
and  proceed  in  one  long  line.  The  vizier  was  kind  enough  to 
send  me  a  message  to  the  effect  that  I  had  better  get  in  front, 
so  as  not  to  be  in  the  midst  of  the  confusion. 

The  place  of  encampment  was  chosen  on  the  northwest  side 
of  the  town  of  Marte ;  and  when  the  shiekh  had  dismounted  in 
order  to  take  possession  of  the  mat  house  which  had  been  pre- 
pared for  him,  the  whole  host  of  cavalry  galloped  up  in  the 
fiercest  manner,  before  I  was  able  to  get  out  of  their  way,  so 
that  I  received  a  very  severe  shock  from  a  horseman,  who  struck 
against  me  with  great  violence. 

In  the  afternoon  my  friend  and  companion  on  my  journey  to 
A^damawa,  Kashella  Billama,  called  on  me,  and  we  mounted 
on  horseback  in  order  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  market,  which  is  held 
every  Friday  outside  the  western  gate  of  the  town,  where  an 
open  area,  surrounded  by  several  wells,  spreads  out.  But  the 
market,  at  least  that  day,  was  very  insignificant :  it  was  not  fur- 
nished with  a  single  shed  or  stall,  and  not  a  single  article  of 
manufacture  was  exposed,  Negro  millet,  butter,  and  wooden 
bowls  being  almost  the  only  articles  offered  for  sale ;  and  sell- 
ers, as  well  as  buyers,  were  very  few  in  number.  The  town 
contains  about  four  thousand  inhabitants,  and,  taking  into  ac- 
count the  strategetical  art  of  this  country,  possesses  proper  de- 
fenses, the  clay  wall  being  in  a  good  state  of  repair,  and  having 
a  gate  on  each  side  excepting  the  side  of  the  market,  where 
there  are  two.  Toward  the  east  there  is  a  little  cultivated 
ground,  and  on  the  north  a  small  suburb,  consisting  of  large, 
conical  thatched  huts,  where,  besides  Kanuri,  several  Fulbe  or 
Fellata  families  are  living.  The  interior  of  the  town  consists 
of  narrow  lanes,  and  most  of  the  houses  are  clay  buildings. 


ALA'. 


323 


There  was  nothing  interesting  to  be  seen ;  but  I  was  agreeably 
surprised  when  my  companion,  who  was  a  native  of  this  place, 
took  me  to  pay  my  compliments  to  his  mother,  who  kept  a  small 
shed,  or  rather,  as  we  should  say,  a  shop,  in  the  little  market- 
place inside  the  town.  It  was  certainly  a  trait  of  a  good-na- 
tured and  friendly  disposition. 

We  remained  here  the  following  day ;  but  our  stay  was  not 
at  all  pleasant,  there  being  very  little  shade  near  the  encamp- 
ment, while  our  tents  were  so  worn  that  they  scarcely  afforded 
any  protection  against  the  sun.  Owing  to  the  smallness  of  my 
means,  I  had  been  obliged  to  leave  my  large  tent  in  Kukawa. 

Sunday^  November  ZOth.  The  following  morning  I  was 
obliged  to  remain  behind  the  army  a  considerable  time,  in  order 
to  allow  the  air  to  acquire  a  more  genial  temperature.  I  enjoy- 
ed the  more  the  beautiful  morning,  although  the  country  did 
not  possess  many  attractions.  Here  also  it  exhibited  that  black, 
boggy  soil  called  firki,"  which  is  peculiar  to  the  southern  parts 
of  Bornu,  though  near  the  village  of  Little  Marte,  or  "  ]\Iarte 
ghana,"  some  slight  variation  was  seen,  in  a  crop  of  Indian  corn 
or  "  holcus"  still  standing  in  the  fields  ;  the  ears,  however,  were 
quickly  plucked  off  by  the  undisciplined  army.  Further  on  I 
reached  a  group  of  villages  ornamented  by  a  cluster  of  beautiful 
tamarind-trees,  and  here  lay  down  a  while  to  enjoy  the  delicious 
shade.  Numbers  of  people  were  resting  here  and  there,  in  or- 
der to  partake  of  tlie  hospitality  of  the  villagers ;  for,  to  the 
ruin  of  the  country,  there  is  no  commissariat  in  these  armies  to 
provide  for  the  wants  of  the  private  individual,  and  every  one 
must  supply  himself  with  food  in  the  best  manner  he  can. 

Our  march,  however,  was  very  short,  the  encampment  having 
been  chosen  on  the  west  side  of  the  town  of  Ala.  This  town 
also  is  of  some  importance,  and  surrounded  by  a  wall  in  good 
repair,  with  two  gates  on  the  north  and  west  sides,  and  only  one 
on  the  south  and  east.  The  interior  is  enlivened  by  large  trees, 
consisting  of  chedia  (elastic  gum)  and  kurna  trees,  while  the 
huts  are  remarkable  for  their  high  conical  roof,  the  thatcli  of 
which,  in  a  great  many  instances,  is  interlaced  by  the  clasps  of 
the  Cuc^'rhita  lagenaria,  the  whole  looking  very  cheerful.  The 


324 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


sheikh  having  requested  me  repeatedly  to  give  my  compass  up 
to  him,  as  he  imagined  it  would  be  sufficient  for  one  of  us  to  pos- 
sess such  an  instrument,  I  thought  it  prudent  to  offer  him  my 
musical-box  as  a  present,  remarking  that  I  would  willingly  give 
away  such  articles,  but  not  scientific  instruments.  Several 
hares  had  been  caught  in  the  course  of  the  day  ;  and  in  the 
evening  we  had  some  of  them  palatably  dressed  by  the  expe- 
rienced female  slave  of  Lamino. 

Monday^  December  IsL  Soon  after  starting,  early  in  the 
morning  we  had  to  traverse  some  underwood,  which  caused  a 
great  rush  and  much  confusion  among  the  undisciplined  army, 
so  that  two  or  three  horsemen  were  seriously  injured.  On  such 
occasions,  as  well  as  in  the  thick  covert  of  the  forest,  I  had  full 
opportunity  of  testing  the  valuable  properties  of  the  Arab  stir- 
rups, which  protect  the  whole  leg,  and,  if  skillfully  managed, 
keep  every  obtruder  at  a  respectful  distance ;  indeed,  I  am  al- 
most sure  that  if,  on  these  my  African  wanderings,  I  had  made 
use  of  the  English  stirrups,  I  should  have  lost  both  my  legs. 
Our  way  afterward  led  over  monotonous  f  irki  ground,  where  wc 
were  cheered  by  the  sight  of  some  fine  crops  of  sorghum.  De- 
tached hamlets  were  seen  in  every  direction,  even  where  the 
country  did  not  present  any  traces  of  cultivation  ;  but,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Shuwa  villages,  this  provirfce  does  not  contain 
many  small  hamlets,  the  population  being  concentrated  in  larger 
places.  Underwood  succeeded  to  the  f  irki  ground,  and  extend- 
ed to  the  very  walls  of  the  large  town  of  Dikowa. 

The  sight  of  this  town,  with  its  walls  overtowered  by  the  reg- 
ularly-shaped crowns  of  magnificent  fig-trees,  was  very  impos- 
ing. The  western  wall,  along  which  our  road  lay,  was  covered 
with  women  and  children,  and  we  met  a  numerous  procession 
of  females  in  their  best  attire,  wdio  were  going  to  salute  their 
sovereign  upon  his  arrival  at  the  encampment ;  and,  coming 
from  the  capital,  which  is  distinguished  by  the  ugliness  of  its 
female  inhabitants,  I  was  agreeably  surprised  at  their  superior 
countenance  and  figure.  But,  though  the  observer  might  be 
gratified  with  the  personal  appearance  of  the  natives,  their  in- 
dustry was  questionable ;  for  only  a  small  tract  of  cultivated 


ENCAMPMENT  AT  DI  KOWA. 


325 


ground  was  to  be  seen  on  this  side  of  the  town,  girt  by  a  forest 
of  mighty  trees. 

The  encampment,  or  "  ngaiifate,"  began  to  form  close  to  the 
southern  wall  of  the  town,  amid  sandy  ground  free  from  trees, 
and  completely  surrounded  by  a  thick  covert.  Although  it  was 
December,  the  sun  was  very  powerful ;  and,  until  the  camels  ar- 
rived, I  sat  down  in  the  shade  of  a  "  bito"  or  Balanites,  while 
the  encampment  was  spreading  out  in  all  directions,  and  ap- 
proached the  edge  of  the  covert.  I  then  gave  up  my  shady  place 
to  Kashella  Jato,  an  officer  of  the  musketeers,  who,  in  acknowl- 
edgment, offered  me  a  clear  piece  of  delicious  gum,  just  taken  from 
the  tree  and  full  of  sweet  fluid,  in  which  state  it  is  certainly  a  del- 
icacy, and  is  so  esteemed  here  as  well  as  in  Western  Negroland. 
The  encampment  springing  up  gradually  from  the  ground,  with 
its  variety  of  light  dwellings  built  only  for  the  moment ;  the 
multifarious  appearance  of  armed  people;  the  numbers  of  horses 
of  all  colors,  some  of  the  most  exquisite  beauty ;  the  uninter- 
rupted train  of  beasts  of  burden,  camels,  and  pack-oxen,  laden 
with  the  tents,  furniture,  and  provisions,  and  mounted  by  the 
wives  and  concubines  of  the  different  chiefs,  well  dressed  and 
veiled,  altogether  presented  a  most  interesting  picture ;  for  now 
almost  the  whole  host,  or  "  kebu,"  had  collected,  and  twenty 
thousand  men,  with  ten  thousand  horses,  and  at  least  as  many 
beasts  of  burden,  were  no  doubt  assembled  on  this  spot. 

At  length  our  two  tents  also  were  pitched,  and  we  could  make 
ourselves  as  comfortable  as  the  scanty  shade  which  they  afford- 
ed allowed  us.  ' 

In  the  evening,  our  conversation  with  the  vizier  turning  upon 
the  means  which  remained  for  Bornu  to  attain  once  more  to  her 
former  greatness,  these  devastating  expeditions  and  slave-hunts 
fell  under  discussion,  and  I  took  the  liberty  to  indicate,  in  op- 
position to  such  a  system,  the  necessity  of  a  well-established 
government,  with  a  strong  military  force  capable  of  extending 
their  dominion.  I  also  called  the  attention  of  the  vizier  to  the 
point  that,  as  they  could  never  rely  upon  the  Turks,  who  might 
easily  cut  off  all  supplies  of  foreign  merchandise,  it  was  greatly 
to  their  interest  to  keep  open  to  themselves  that  large  river 


326  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

which  passed  a  short  distance  to  the  south  of  their  dominions, 
and  which  would  enable  them  to  supply  themselves  with  every 
kind  of  European  manufacture  at  a  much  cheaper  rate  than  they 
were  able  to  obtain  them  by  the  northern  route.  He  did  not 
hesitate  to  throw  the  whole  blame  upon  the  former  sultans  ;  but 
those  poor  men,  when  they  possessed  the  dominion  of  the  Kwa- 
na  tribe,  probably  had  no  idea  that  the  river  which  ran  through 
their  territory  joined  the  sea ;  and  even  if  they  had,  the  relation 
between  Islam  and  Christianity  at  that  period  was  of  so  hostile 
a  character  that,  for  the  very  reason  that  this  stream  might  open 
to  the  Christians  a  more  easy  access  to  their  country,  they  shun- 
ned any  nearer  connection  with  it  as  dangerous.  However,  un- 
der the  present  entirely  altered  state  of  affairs,  there  is  no  ques- 
tion that  an  energetic  native  chief,  basing  his  power  on  a  supply 
of  European  merchandise,  as  facilitated  by  the  River  Benuwe, 
might  easily  dominate  a  great  part  of  Central  Africa ;  but  en- 
ergy is  just  the  very  thing  these  people  are  wanting  in. 

From  this  point  of  our  discourse  there  was  an  easy  transition 
to  that  of  the  abolition  of  slavery ;  and  here  my  late  lamented 
friend,  Mr.  Overweg,  made  a  most  eloquent  speech  on  this  im- 
portant question.  The  vizier  could  not  bring  forward  any  other 
argument  in  his  defense  than  that  the  slave-trade  furnished  them 
with  the  means  of  buying  muskets ;  and,  lamentable  as  it  is, 
this  is  certainly  the  correct  view  of  the  subject,  for  even  on  the 
west  coast  the  slave-trade  originated  in  the  cupidity  of  the  na- 
tives in  purchasing  the  arms  of  Europeans.  Such  is  the  histo- 
ry of  civilization !  If  the  poor  natives  of  Africa  had  never  be- 
come acquainted  with  this  destructive  implement  of  European 
ingenuity,  the  slave-trade  would  never  have  reached  those  gi- 
gantic proportions  which  it  has  attained  ;  for  at  first  the  natives 
of  Africa  wanted  fire-arms  as  the  surest  means  of  securing  their 
independence  of,  and  superiority  over  their  neighbors ;  but  in 
the  further  course  of  affairs,  these  instruments  of  destruction  be- 
came necessary  because  they  enabled  them  to  hunt  down  less 
favored  tribes,  and,  with  a  supply  of  slaves  so  obtained,  to  pro- 
cure for  themselves  those  luxuries  of  European  civilization  with 
which  they  had  likewise  become  acquainted.    This  is  the  great 


CONVERSATION  ON  SLAVE-TRADE. 


327 


debt  which  the  European  owes  to  the  poor  African,  that  after 
having  caused,  or  at  least  increased,  this  nefarious  system  on  his 
first  bringing  the  natives  of  those  regions  into  contact  with  his 
state  of  civilization,  which  has  had  scarcely  any  but  a  demoral- 
izing effect,  he  ought  now  also  to  make  them  acquainted  with 
the  beneficial  effects  of  that  state  of  society.  Entering,  there- 
fore, into  the  views  of  our  hosts,  I  told  them  that  their  country 
produced  many  other  things  which  they  might  exchange  for 
fire-arms,  without  being  forced  to  lay  waste  the  whole  of  the 
neighboring  countries,  and  to  bring  misery  and  distress  upon  so 
many  thousands. 

I  informed  them  of  the  last  negotiations  of  her  Britannic  maj- 
esty's messengers  with  the  King  of  Dahome,  when  our  friend, 
listening  with  the  greatest  interest  to  the  account  of  these  no- 
ble endeavors  of  her  majesty's  government,  which  he  could  not 
but  admire,  declared,  in  the  most  distinct  manner,  that  if  the 
British  government  were  able  to  furnish  them  with  a  thousand 
muskets  and  four  cannons,  they  would  be  willing  to  subscribe 
any  obhgatory  article  for  abolisliing  the  slave-trade  in  their 
country — of  course  not  including,  all  at  once,  domestic  slavery, 
for  such  a  measure  would  scarcely  be  feasible  in  a  country 
where  all  the  relations  of  domestic  life  are  based  upon  this  sys- 
tem. But  the  abolition  of  the  foreign  slave-trade  would  be  the 
beginning  of  a  better  system.  However,  I  told  them  that,  sup- 
posing government  were  to  entertain  such  a  proposal,  the  first 
thing  for  them  to  do  was  to  open  themselves  a  road  to  the  Eiver 
Benuwe,  as  it  would  be  difficult,  not  only  with  respect  to  the 
state  of  the  country  to  be  traversed,  but  also  on  account  of  the 
suspicions  of  the  Turks,  to  provide  them  with  such  a  military 
store  by  way  of  the.  desert.  But  at  present  this  whole  ques- 
tion has  been  superseded ;  the  vizier  himself  has  succumbed, 
and  his  master,  the  Sheikh  'Omar,  although  he  has  been  fortu- 
nate enough  once  more  to  usurp  the  sovereign  authority,  seems 
scarcely  sufficient  to  hold  out  any  guarantee  of  the  stability  of 
his  dynasty.  Moreover,  the  slave-trade  at  present  is,  in  fact, 
abolished  on  the  north  coast ;  and  this  circumstance  must 
eventually  exercise  a  great  influence  over  the  destinies  of  Bor- 


328 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


nil,  on  account  of  its  central  situation,  especially  if  at  length  a 
rco'ular  intercourse  be  established  on  the  River  Benuwe. 

o 

It  was  our  lot  to  remain  here  several  days ;  for  while  the 
Kaniiri  people,  who  were  expected  to  join  the  expedition,  had 
assembled  in  sufficient  numbers,  only  a  very  small  portion  of 
the  indigenous  Arab  or  Shuwa  population  had  as  yet  come  up  ; 
for  almost  all  of  them  live  in  the  southeastern  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, where  they  have  taken  possession  of  the  deserted  seats  of 
former  tribes,  which  were  annihilated  or  weakened  in  the  relent- 
less wars  between  Islamism  and  Paganism. 

On  the  first  day  of  our  arrival  our  encampment  was  very 
comfortable,  but  every  day  that  we  staid  here  it  became  more 
confined,  owing  principally  to  the  numerous  cavalry  of  these 
Arab  tribes,  almost  all  of  whom  are  mounted  ;  and  many  a  new- 
comer was  seen  hurrying  about,  without  being  able  to  find  a 
spot  to  lie  down,  or  to  meet  with  friends  to  treat  him.  I  my- 
self had  to  entertain  a  respectable  man  among  these  Shuwa  of 
the  name  of  Ilaj  Hamadan,  belonging  to  the  tribe  of  the  Ha- 
sunna. 

This  man,  who  generally  had  his  settlement  far  to  the  east, 
in  tlie  Wadi  Guskab,  had  come  some  time  previously  to  Logon 
in  order  to  pay  a  visit  to  some  relations  of  his,  and  had  now 
joined  this  expedition.  But  one  must  be  very  careful  with 
these  Shuwa ;  for,  to  use  a  common  expression,  if  you  give  them 
an  inch  tJiey  are  wont  to  take  an  ell.  But  for  their  Jewish 
character,  I  should  have  liked  to  enter  into  more  intimate  rela- 
tions with  them  than  I  actually  did. 

Their  emigration  into  these  regions,  at  least  several  centuries 
ago,  is  certainly  not  without  interest ;  and,  as  I  have  already 
had  occasion  to  observe  in  another  place,  they  preserve  the  char- 
acteristic type  ot  their  race  very  distinctly  —  a  middle-sized, 
slender  figure  (which,  however,  is  apt  to  become  fuller  as  they 
advance  in  years),  small,  pleasing  features,  and  a  dark  olive 
complexion.  Their  dialect  is  very  peculiar ;  and  while  it  lays 
claim  to  a  far  greater  purity  than  belongs  to  the  dialects  of  the 
coast,  by  the  profusion  of  vowels  which  it  has  preserved,  its 
character  is  deteriorated,  and  becomes  nearly  ridiculous  by  the 


THE  SHU'WA.— DI'KOWA. 


329 


continued  repetition  and  insertion  of  certain  words.  A  Sliuwa 
is  not  able  to  say  three  words  without  inserting  his  favorite 
term  "  kuch,  kuch,"  which  corresponds  to  the  English  word 
'*  thorough,"  but  which  is  not  Arabic  at  all.  When  they  omit 
the  word  ''kuch"  they  make  use  of  another  term,  "berketek," 
''your  worship,"  which  at  once  bears  testimony  to  the  servile 
and  degraded  position  which  they  occupy  in  Negroland,  al- 
though in  Bornu  they  are  still  treated  with  some  indulgence 
and  lenity,  especially  since  the  time  when  Mohammed  Tirab, 
the  father  of  the  present  vizier,  who  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  the 
Salamat,  attained  the  highest  degree  of  power  and  influence  in 
the  country.  In  Waday  again,  even  at  the  present  time,  they 
are  treated  very  badly. 

Of  Kanuri  people,  besides  a  few  smaller  bodies  of  troops,  only 
two  officers  or  kashellas,  'Ali  ^lavglii  and  Jerma,  were  wanting. 
All  the  officers  and  bodies  of  troops  on  this  side  of  the  koma- 
dugu  of  Bornu,  the  so-called  Yeou,  were  collected  together,  the 
only  exception  being  Kashella  Manzo,  my  hospitable  host  in 
Zurrikulo,  whose  presence  at  his  post  was  required  on  account 
of  the  Tawarek ;  for,  as  regards  the  officers  and  chiefs  of  the 
provinces  on  the  other  side  of  the  komadugu,  nobody  is  required 
to  take  part  in  these  expeditions  of  the  sheikh,  every  officer  re- 
maining at  his  post,  except  when  his  master  enters  upon  a  war 
ill  his  own  quarters. 

While  the  encampment  itself  presented  considerable  interest, 
as  being  the  temporary  abode  of  so  many  people,  the  town  of  Di- 
kowa,  near  which  we  were  encamped,  seemed  well  deserving  some 
attention,  as  having  been  repeatedly  the  residence  of  the  rulers 
of  the  country,  and  being  still  one  of  the  largest  towns  in  the 
kingdom.  I  therefore  paid  a  visit  to  it  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
second  day  of  our  stay,  being  accompanied  by  my  friend  Billa- 
ma.  We  entered  the  town  by  the  western  gate,  and  I  saw  that 
the  walls  were  about  thirty  feet  high,  and  terraced  on  the  inside 
like  those  of  the  capital,  and  of  considerable  breadth  at  the 
base :  they  were  in  a  state  of  good  repair.  I  was  struck  by  the 
height  and  round  shape  of  the  huts,  which  entirely  wanted  the 
characteristic  top,  or,  as  the  Kanuri  people  call  it,  kogi  ngimbe, 


330 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


and  were  of  the  same  kind  as  I  had  observed  in  the  other  towns 
of  this  southern  province.  Every  Imt  had  its  little  court-yard, 
in  some  of  which  vegetation  was  seen,  mostly  karas. 

The  further  we  proceeded,  the  more  I  was  pleased  with  the 
general  appearance  of  the  town,  the  exterior  of  which  had  made 
a  favorable  impression  upon  me  on  our  first  arrival.  Large, 
beautiful,  wide-spreading  fig-trees,  ngabore,  chedia  or  elastic 
gum-trees,  and  korna-trees,  spread  their  shade  all  around,  and 
two  or  three  isolated  papaw-trees,  or,  as  the  Kanuri  call  them, 
bambus-masarbe,  with  their  remarkable  feathery  crowns,  and 
their  smooth,  virgin-like  stems,  formed  a  lively  contrast  to  the 
broad-leafed  canopy  of  the  other  trees,  while  the  hedges  and 
fences  of  the  court-yards  were  partly  enlivened  by  a  luxurious 
creeper  called  "  dagdagel"  by  the  natives.  The  real  nucleus  of 
the  town  seemed  to  consist  entirely  of  clay  houses. 

After  a  very  pleasant  ride  we  reached  the  house  of  the 
"  mainta"  or  governor,  who  still  enjoys  a  certain  degree  of  inde- 
pendence. The  chief  ornament  of  the  place  in  front  of  his 
house  was  the  most  splendid  caoutchouc-tree  I  have  ever  seen ; 
indeed,  I  can  scarcely  imagine  that  the  diameter  of  its  crown, 
which  was  so  regularly  and  symmetrically  shaped  that  it  ap- 
peared as  if  effected  by  art,  measured  less  than  from  seventy  to 
eighty  feet.  It  really  formed  a  beautiful  fage,  or,  as  the  Ilausa 
people  call  it,  ichenbatu,  or  open  council-hall,  such  as  are  com- 
mon in  these  places  ;  but  at  present  no  political  business  of  any 
importance  was  transacted  here,  and  it  formed  a  favorite  lounge 
for  idle  people,  among  wdiom  there  was  a  troop  of  musicians, 
playing  lustily  upon  their  instruments  to  console  the  petty  chief 
for  the  loss  of  his  former  power,  w^hich  had  dwindled  aw^ay  to  a 
mere  shadow.  I  would  gladly  have  paid  him  a  visit,  but,  poor 
as  I  was  at  the  time,  and  without  a  single  article  worthy  of  his 
acceptance,  I  was  rather  glad  that  I  was  under  no  obligation  to 
him.  The  interruption  in  the  daily  course  of  life  of  the  inliab- 
itants,  by  the  presence  of  the  army,  was  the  more  to  be  lament- 
ed, as  it  prevented  me  from  becoming  an  eyewitness  to  the  . 
chief  industry  of  the  natives,  which  consists  in  weaving  and 
manufacturing  into  shirts  the  cotton  w^hicli  they  grow ;  for  they 


THE  INTERIOR  OF  DI'KOWA. 


331 


are  almost  exclusively  cotton-growers,  and  have  very  little  corn. 
But,  although  they  are  able  to  produce  a  fine  sort  of  texture, 
they  are  very  badly  off  for  dyeing,  and  in  this  respect  are  far 
outstripped  by  the  inhabitants  of  Uje  and  Makari.  Instead  of 
the  beating  of  shirts,  which  forms  so  pleasant  a  sound  in  many 
other  industrial  towns  of  Negroland,  there  was  nothing  to  be 
heard  but  the  sound  wdiich  proceeded  from  the  powder-mill,  if  I 
may  be  allowed  to  give  this  grand  name  to  a  yard  in  which  eight 
slaves  were  employed  in  pounding  powder  in  large  wooden  mor- 
tars, for  this  is  the  w^ay  in  which  powder  is  prepared  in  Negro- 
land  ;  and  during  my  stay  in  Bagirmi,  every  time  I  had  my  cof- 
fee pounded  (as  I  did  not  possess  a  coffee-mill),  I  excited  the  sus- 
picion that  I  was  preparing  powder.  Of  course,  the  presence 
of  the  army  w^as  the  reason  why  so  little  activity  was  to  be  seen 
at  present,  and  the  little  market  or  durriya,  which  is  held  in  the 
afternoon,  was  very  badly  attended  ;  but  the  size  and  popuious- 
ness  of  the  town  made  such  an  impression  upon  me  that  I 
thought  myself  justified  in  rating  the  number  of  inhabitants  at 
about  tw^enty-five  thousand. 

Altogether,  I  w^as  so  much  pleased  with  the  character  of  the 
place,  that  on  expressing  my  satisfaction  to  one  of  the  inhabit- 
ants who  came  to  salute  my  companion  with  the  words,  *'  A^te- 
ma  billa  ngilla,"  "This  is  a  fine  town,"  he  replied,  with  con- 
scious pride,  "A^te  billa  deka  gem,  ate  billa  maiwa,"  ''This  is 
not  a  country  town ;  this  is  a  royal  residence."  We  reached 
the  gate  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  town  just  at  the  moment 
when  'Abd  e'  Eahman,  the  eldest  brother  of  the  Sheikh  'Omar, 
arrived  with  a  party  of  horsemen.  What  his  business  was  I 
do  not  know  ;  but,  before  the  expedition  left  the  town,  there  had 
been  a  great  many  unfavorable  rumors  concerning  his  ambitious 
designs,  and  the  malcontents  expected  that  he  w^ould  avail  him- 
self of  this  opportunity  for  striking  a  blow  at  the  vizier,  in  or- 
der to  prevent  the  expedition  from  proceeding  against  Mandara, 
as  he  him.self  was  supposed  to  be  on  friendly  terms  with,  the 
chief  of  that  country.  But,  whatever  may  have  been  his  inten- 
tions, he  found  his  rival  still  too  strong ;  and,  after  a  friendly 
parting  from  his  brother,  he  retraced  his  steps. 


332 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


The  view  over  the  encampment  which  presented  itself  when 
from  the  north  I  turned  to  the  southwest  side  of  tlie  town,  was 
extremely  interesting,  and  I  kept  along  the  higher  ground  form- 
ed by  the  rubbish  which  had  accumulated  at  the  foot  of  the 
wall.  Tents  of  every  description  and  size — light  sheds  con- 
structed witli  the  long  stalks  of  Indian  corn,  supported  by  four 
poles  and  connected  lightly  at  the  top,  and  forming  high-topped 
gables — horses  and  men,  all  in  the  greatest  confusion,  presented 
a  busy  scene  of  animated  life ;  but  the  place  where  our  tents 
were  pitched  had  become  so  confined  that  I  was  glad  to  avail 
myself  of  any  opportunity  which  presented  itself  of  roving  about 
in  the  nei^-hborhood. 

The  most  attractive  place  was  the  komadugu,  or  water-course, 
which  passes  at  some  distance  to  the  south  of  the  town,  and  is 
distinguished  by  the  special  name  of  Yalowe.  It  was  a  very 
charming  spot,  winding  along  through  a  rich  and  varied  forest, 
bordered  by  an  uninterrupted  line  of  the  finest  fig-trees,  prin- 
cipally of  the  kind  called  "  ngabore."  The  channel  itself  was 
only  about  forty  yards  wide,  encompassed  by  banks  of  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in  height,  and  at  present  it  was  not  enliv- 
ened by  a  continuous  stream,  but  contained  several  detached 
pools  of  stagnant  water.  Although  the  water  was  cool,  and  not 
disagreeable  to  the  taste,  still  it  was  not  very  pure,  and  could 
not  but  contain  the  germs  of  much  disease.  This  is  the  same 
komadugu  with  which,  in  its  upper  course  in  the  territory  of 
Uje,  I  had  become  acquainted  on  my  journey  to  A^damawa.* 
The  banks  all  around  were  enlivened  by  horses  and  pack-oxen, 
who  were  enjoying  the  rich  verdure  ;  and  there  was  not  a  shady 
tree  but  had  been  taken  possession  of  by  a  troop  of  Kanembu 
or  Kanuri,  in  order  to  find  that  comfortable  repose  which  the 
noisy  encampment  could  not  afibrd. 

Having  heard  that  the  wealth  of  the  inhabitants  of  Dikowa 
consisted  of  cotton,  I  expected  to  find  extensive,  well-kept  cot- 
ton-plantations ;  but,  although  the  article  was  cultivated  to  a 

*  With  rep;ard  to  the  direction  of  its  lower  course,  the  statements  of  the  peo- 
ple do  not  entirely  agree,  and  I  shall  have  occasion  to  say  something  more  about 
it  ^Yhen  I  speak  of  my  return  journey  from  Bagi'rmi. 


COTTON-PLANTATIOXS.— THE  IVIARKET. 


333 


great  extent,  I  was  astonished  at  the  neglected  appearance  which 
it  exhibited,  the  cotton-fields  being  almost  buried  beneath  the 
thicket,  and  overgrown,  not  only  with  rank  grass,  but  even  with 
trees  and  bushes,  so  that  scarcely  any  space  was  left  for  the 
plants  to  spread  out ;  nevertheless,  their  luxuriant  growth  bore 
ample  testimony  to  the  rich  nature  of  the  soil,  and  gave  an  idea 
of  the  wealth  that  lies  buried  in  these  regions.  I  have  already 
observed,  on  another  occasion,  that  the  natives  of  Negroland 
take  very  little  care  of  their  cotton-plantations  ;  and  there  is  no 
doubt  that,  if  sufficient  care  was  bestowed,  quite  a  different 
quality  might  be  produced. 

I  roved  about  this  wild  and  fertile  region  till  I  was  entirely 
hemmed  in  by  an  impenetrable  thicket.  While  returning  hence 
to  our  encampment  by  a  more  westerly  path,  I  was  ruminating 
in  my  mind  how  the  former  rulers  of  this  country  had  evinced 
so  much  more  feeling  for  the  bounty  and  beauty  of  nature  than 
its  present  possessors  ;  for  while  these  have  chosen  for  their  res- 
idence the  most  monotonous  district  of  the  empire,  the  former 
selected  those  parts  which  nature  itself  had  embellished — the 
shores  of  the  so-called  Yeou,  or  the  komadugu  Waube,  and  this 
fine  water-course  of  Dikowa ;  and  tliey  not  only  chose  the  most 
interesting  spots,  but  they  even  embellished  them  by  art,  as  the 
large  artificial  basins  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ghasreggomo, 
Ghambaru,  and  Damasak  amply  testify.  In  this  respect  it  is 
not  uninteresting  that  we  are  informed  by  the  Imam  A^hmed, 
the  historian  of  King  Edris  Alawoma,  that  his  master,  when  he 
visited  the  town  of  Fika,  could  not  forego  the  pleasure  of  pay- 
ing a  visit  to  the  famous  little  iVlpine  lake  which  lies  at  some 
distance  from  that  town.  Although  the  country  of  Bornu  is  far 
from  being  the  most  favored  part  of  Negroland,  yet  the  shores 
of  these  water-courses  are  very  ricli  indeed,  and  capable  of  main- 
taining a  numerous  population. 

In  returning  to  our  encampment  I  passed  the  market  or  dur- 
riya,  which  was  held  every  afternoon  on  the  west  side  of  the 
encampment.  It  was  really  a  busy  scene,  not  yielding  in  im- 
portance to  the  little  daily  market  of  the  capital ;  and  this  was 
not  at  all  marvelous,  as  a  greater  crowd  of  people  and  a  far 


334 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


greater  number  of  horses  were  gathered  here  than  the  average 
population  of  Kukawa.  Not  only  were  provisions,  such  as  meat, 
grain,  beans,  ground-nuts,  and  other  articles  of  a  like  descrip- 
tion, offel-ed  for  sale,  but  even  small  luxuries ;  and  there  was  a 
good  deal  of  bartering,  as  the  buyers  were  destitute  of  currency 
— kungona  or  cowries,  as  well  as  gabaga  or  cotton-strips.  I  also 
observed  that  the  encampment,  especially  on  this  side,  w^iere  it 
was  skirted  by  a  thick  covert  of  trees,  was  encircled  by  a  living 
wall  of  light  Kanembu  spearmen,  who  were  keeping  watch  ;  for 
although  the  army  was  still  in  its  own  territory,  yet,  in  the  weak 
state  of  the  government,  a  certain  degree  of  insecurity  already 
commences  here ;  and  the  very  hrst  evening  of  our  being  en- 
camped on  this  spot,  the  ngaufate  was  roused  by  the  gangema, 
or  announcement  by  beat  of  drum,  to  the  effect  that  every  body 
should  be  on  his  guard  against  horse-stealers. 

While  the  country  around  presented  interesting  features,  and 
the  encampment  itself  exhibited  a  scene  of  great  variety,  the 
time  we  spent  here  passed  away  comfortably  and  agreeably, 
with  the  sole  exception  that  the  space  allotted  to  us  was  too  con- 
fined to  be  comfortable.  We  were  on  the  most  friendly  terms 
with  the  sheikh  as  well  as  with  his  vizier,  and  all  court  eti- 
quette was  dispensed  with.  This  went  so  far  that  I  and  my 
companion  accommodated  our  noble  and  princely  friends  with 
our  woolen  jackets  and  drawers  ;  for  they  began  to  feel  the  cold 
at  night  very  severely,  and  on  these  occasions  the  very  respect- 
able Haj  Edris  had  to  play  the  part  of  a  royal  laundress. 

Already,  during  our  hibernal  stay  in  the  country  of  Air,  we 
had  been  obliged  to  accommodate  our  old  and  austere  friend 
A''nnur  and  his  numerous  relatives  with  our  Turkish  waistcoats, 
but  we  had  not  yet  condescended  to  give  away  our  under-cloth- 
ing ;  and  being  ourselves  extremely  poor  and  destitute  in  every 
respect,  it  was  certainly  not  a  little  privation  w^e  imposed  upon 
ourselves.  The  clothes  of  the  sheikh  and  his  vizier  were  all 
very  wide,  and  not  fit  for  keeping  out  the  cold.  I  have  repeat- 
edly had  occasion  to  mention  how  sensitive  the  Africans  are  to 
cold ;  and  I  am  persuaded  that,  in  the  burning  regions  of  Cen- 
tral Africa,  a  good  cargo  of  warm  under-clothing  would  find  a 


IMPORTANT  INFORMATION. 


335 


ready  sale,  especially  if  it  should  arrive  in  the  months  of  De- 
cember and  January.  But  neither  did  our  noble  hosts,  on  their 
part,  fail  to  do  every  thing  in  their  power  to  render  our  situa- 
tion as  comfortable  as  possible ;  and  it  was  very  satisfactory  to 
see  how  anxious  the  vizier  was  to  supply  us  with  all  desirable 
information. 

One  evening,  at  a  late  hour,  when  I  was  reposing  in  my  tent 
and  about  to  go  to  bed,  he  sent  for  me  in  the  greatest  hurry,  as 
if  my  life  or  death  were  at  stake ;  and  upon  hastening  thither, 
anxious  to  hear  what  was  the  matter,  I  was  told  that  the  vizier 
had  been  informed  of  a  person  being  in  the  encampment  who, 
like  my  old  friend  the  M'allem  Katuri,  had  accompanied  the 
memorable  expedition  of  A^mba  Sambo,  the  warlike  chief  of 
Chamba,  toward  the  country  of  I''gbo  on  the  sea-coast.  But 
while  the  latter  had  gone  to  Mbafu  with  the  main  body  of  the 
arm}^,  the  adventurous  proceedings  of  that  person  had  not  even 
been  limited  by  the  boundaries  of  the  sea  ;  and  he  informed  me, 
in  the  most  positive  and  conclusive  manner,  that  the  body  of 
troops  which  he  accompanied  had  sailed  along  a  rocky  coast  for 
fifteen  days,  when  they  unexpectedly  met  with  an  island,  where 
they  took  possession  of  a  number  of  muskets,  their  owners,  who 
were  all  dressed  in  jackets,  having  taken  refuge  in  their  large 
vessel. 

lie  did  not  doubt  that  these  people  were  Christians,  and,  ac- 
cording to  the  description  which  he  gave  me  of  the  vessel,  there 
can  scarcely  be  any  doubt  that  it  was  a  European  one ;  but  I 
did  not  feel  quite  certain  as  to  the  point  whether- he  had  navi- 
gated a  large  river  or  the  open  sea,  though  I  think  it  probable 
they  went  down  the  Niger,  and  surprised  one  of  the  European 
traders  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  At  any  rate,  however,  this 
is  an  extremely  interesting  circumstance.  I  apprehend  that  the 
chiefs  of  A^damawa  will  hesitate  in  future  to  extend  their  expe- 
ditions so  far,  after  an  English  steamer  has  gone  up  the  river 
to  the  very  heart  of  their  own  country.  It  was  this  same  Bornu 
horseman  who  informed  me  that,  on  that  expedition,  all  the 
horses  had  died  from  a  disease  proceeding  from  worms. 

While  chatting  together  upon  these  subjects  till  after  mid- 


336 


TRA.VELS  IN  AFKICA. 


night,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  giving  the  vizier  some  little  in- 
formation regarding  the  peculiar  character  of  the  maritime  pow- 
er of  the  Imam  of  Maskat,  of  which  he  had  never  heard  before, 
and  which  interested  him  exceedingly.  With  the  Arabs  of 
Timbuktu,  also,  this  subject  formed  a  topic  of  the  highest  in- 
terest, as  they  had  no  idea  that  there  were  people  of  the  same 
faith  living  on  the  eastern  shores  of  this  continent ;  and  they 
delighted  in  the  thought  that  even  in  those  regions  there  were 
^loslems  who  were  not  quite  destitute  of  political  power ;  for, 
although  that  famous  traveler  E^bn  Batuta  has  given  to  his  coun- 
trymen an  account  of  these  regions,  it  was  only  in  Sokoto  that 
I  met  with  a  man,  the  learned  Kaderi  dan  Taffa,  who  knew 
Sofala  by  name. 

My  friend  BiUama  also  frequently  called  on  me,  and  furnish- 
ed me  with  a  variety  of  information,*  while  I  applied  myself 
strenuously  to  the  study  of  the  Kanuri  language,  which  had 
discouraged  me  at  first,  owing  to  the  difficulties  of  its  grammat- 
ical structure ;  and  I  could  scarcely  have  had  a  better  teacher 
than  our  friend  Haj  Edris  ;  for,  being  of  Kanuri  origin,  he  had 
lived  a  great  many  years  in  the  East,  especially  in  Medina,  and 
had  become  almost  an  Arab.  He  was  certainly  an  intelligent 
and  honest  man,  and  in  the  course  of  our  stay  we  became  in- 
debted to  him  in  many  respects.  Of  course,  we  could  not  ex- 
pect him  to  render  his  service  gratuitously,  as  he  himself  was 
not  in  affluent  circumstances,  though  as  a  courtier  he  had  to 
keep  up  a  good  appearance ;  but,  being  myself  very  poor  at  the 
time,  I  could  do  nothing  but  place  him  upon  a  needle-pension, 
the  needles  being  very  useful  in  the  encampment  for  buying 
provisions. 

*  Among  other  things,  he  informed  me  that  at  a  short  distance  north  from 
Di'kowa  lies  the  town  A'jiri,  equally  surrounded  by  a  clay  wall,  and  inhabited  by 
Kanuri ;  but,  while  a  tribute  is  levied  on  Dikowa  by  the  Mala  Masa  Mandara, 
A'jiri  belongs  to  a  man  called  A^bsa.  About  two  hours  south  by  west  from  Di- 
kowa is  another  walled  town,  called  Gawa  ;  but  this  town  still  at  the  present  day 
is  inhabited  by  the  ancient  population  of  the  country,  viz.,  the  Gamerghu,  and  is 
the  residence  of  a  petty  native  chief,  BiUama  Sara,  while  another  petty  chief  of 
the  Gamerghu  has  his  residence  in  Degimba,  the  Dagwamba  of  Major  Denham. 
Of  the  Gamerghu  I  have  spoken  on  a  former  occasion. 


CONTRADICTORY  RUMORS. 


337 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

THE  BORDER  REGION  OF  THE  SHUWA. 

Saturday^  December  Qth,  At  length,  after  a  protracted  stay, 
we  left  our  encampment  at  Dikowa,  though  still  in  complete  un- 
certainty whether  the  expedition  was  directed  against  Mandara 
or  not ;  for  as  yet  the  chief  of  that  little  country  (which,  through 
the  adventures  of  Major  Denliam,  has  obtained  in  Europe  a 
greater  share  of  attention  than  it  really  deserves),  relying  upon 
the  natural  strength  of  his  mountains,  had  not  yet  made  his 
submission.  The  rumors  which  we  heard  from  thence  were  of 
the  most  contradictory  nature ;  and  it  seamed  as  if  Abu  Bakr, 
which  is  the  name  of  the  present  chief,  had  made  up  his  mind 
to  a  determined  resistance,  having  retired  into  his  mountain 
fastnesses,  to  the  great  disappointment  of  the  vizier,  who  re- 
peatedly asked  me  and  my  companion,  with  great  anxiety,  what 
was  to  be  done,  and  how  it  was  possible  for  the  cavalry  to  at- 
tack the  enemy  in  his  mountainous  retreat ;  for,  whatever  mili- 
tary strength  the  Kanuri  may  still  possess,  it  is  almost  solely 
looked  for  in  their  cavalry.  The  former  excellence  of  the  Ka- 
nembu  spearmen,  resulting  from  their  enthusiastic  devotion  to 
their  leader,  has  disappeared  long  ago,  at  least  since  the  over- 
throw of  the  old  dynasty;  and  the  vizier  had  to  expect  very 
little  sympathy  from  this  body,  as  most  of  them  were  decidedly 
favorable  to  the  interest  of  his  adversary,  'Abd  e'  Rahman.  As 
far  as  I  had  been  able  to  learn  the  nature  of  those  rocky  mount- 
ains on  my  journey  to  Yola,  I  could  not  but  think  that  not  only 
the  cavalry  of  Bornu,  but  even  the  Kanembu  spearmen,  accus- 
tomed as  they  were  to  the  level  plains  of  their  country,  would 
be  incapable  of  climbing  those  rocky  cliffs. 

The  whole  country  was  enveloped  in  a  thick  fog  when  we 
started  in  the  morning,  so  that  the  passage  of  the  komadugu, 

Vol.  II.— Y 


338 


» 

TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


with  its  steep  banks,  caused  a  considerable  crowding  and  push- 
ing, which  was  far  from  agreeable.  When  we  had  got  safely 
over  we  had  to  pass  a  thick  forest  consisting  of  "  bito"  and 
''kindin"  or  talha-trees,  and  on  our  left  appeared  the  large 
walled  place  of  A^fage,  a  considerable  town,  but  not  so  large  as 
Dikowa.  After  only  a  short  interval  Ave  saw  another  town  on 
our  right,  called  Kodege,  the  walls  of  which  were  in  an  advanced 
state  of  decay,  but  were  at  present  adorned  with  living  battle- 
ments of  male  and  female  spectators. 

Proceeding  a  short  distance  onward,  we  encamped  at  an  early 
hour  to  the  westward  of  another  walled  town  called  Zogoma. 
The  whole  of  this  district,  favored  as  it  is  by  nature,  seems  to 
have  been  once  in  a  very  flourishing  condition.  It  was,  how- 
ever, rather  odd  that  we  should  have  encamped  here,  as  the 
horses  had  to  be  led  back  to  A^fage  for  water. 

I  had  scarcely  pitched  my  tent  when  that  cruel  minister  of 
police,  Lamino,  a  man  whose  character  my  friend  Haj  Edris 
used  significantly  to  describe  in  the  few  words  "  kargo  dibbi, 
kindi  dibbi"  (bad  in  heart  and  bad  in  deed),  brought  into  my 
presence  a  famous  cut-throat  of  the  name  of  Barka-ngolo,  whose 
neck  was  secured  in  a  large  machine  called  "bego,"  consisting 
of  two  pieces  of  wood  from  four  to  five  feet  in  length,  and  very 
heavy,  so  that  every  movement  was  accompanied  with  the  great- 
est pain.  Nevertheless,  my  mischievous  friend  persuaded  him- 
self that  it  would  gratify  me  to  see  this  miserable  wretch  fight 
with  another  culprit  secured  in  the  same  manner,  by  giving  to 
each  of  them  a  long  whip  of  hippopotamus  hide,  and  forcing 
them  by  threats  to  flog  each  other.  It  was  a  horrible  sight, 
and  I  had  great  difficulty  in  convincing  my  cruel  friend  that 
such  a  scene  was  far  from  being  agreeable  to  me.  In  order  to 
get  rid  of  him,  I  presented  him  with  a  quantity  of  cloves  to  give 
to  his  beloved  'Aaisha,  of  whose  culinary  powers  we  had  al- 
ready had  several  proofs.  He  was  greatly  pleased  with  my 
present,  and  with  an  amorous  smile  he  described  to  me  how 
deeply  he  was  in  love  with  his  darling,  saying  that  he  loved  her 
and  she  loved  him  also  ;  "  and,"  added  he,  in  a  very  sentimental 
way,    such  a  mutual  love  is  the  greatest  bliss  on  earth."  Eu- 


THE  SWEET  SORGHUM. 


339 


ropeans  must  not  fancy  that  there  is  no  such  feeling  among 
these  Africans  as  love,  although  it  is  not  quite  so  ethereal  as 
it  sometimes  seems  to  be  with  us.  Notwithstanding  these 
amorous  declarations,  which  sounded  very  ridiculous  coming 
from  such  a  mass  of  flesh  as  he  was,  I  was  glad  when  he  was 
gone. 

We  were  now  approaching  hostile  territory,  and  in  the  even- 
ing a  "  gangema,"  or  proclamation  accompanied  by  beat  of  drum, 
was  made  throughout  the  whole  encampment,  to  the  effect  that 
the  train  of  camels  and  pack-oxen,  which  previously  had  greatly 
hemmed  in  the  cavalry,  should  not  start  until  after  the  former 
had  moved  on.  Zogoma  is  the  farthest  town  of  the  Bornu  ter- 
ritory in  this  direction,  and  the  following  day  we  encamped  in  a 
district  of  the  name  of  Masa,  close  to  a  swamp  thickly  covered 
with  water-plants,  principally  the  Pistia  stratiotes.  Several 
Shuwa  villages  were  lying  about  at  short  distances  from  each 
other. 

On  the  roi*d  we  passed  some  cotton-plantations  and  stubble- 
fields.  The  chief  agricultural  produce  of  Masa  consisted  of 
"  sabade,"  the  sweet  sorghum  or  Sorghum  saccharatum.  This 
sort  of  grain  I  had  not  yet  seen  in  the  course  of  my  journey, 
but  in  Dikowa  my  friend  Mala  Ibram  had  sent  me  a  large 
quantity  of  it,  in  order  that  I  might  indulge  in  this  African  lux- 
ury. At  that  period  I  was  surprised  at  the  great  length  of 
these  stalks,  some  of  which  measured  fourteen  feet ;  but  how 
astonished  was  I  afterward,  when,  in  the  course  of  my  travels, 
in  the  luxuriant  valleys  of  Kebbi  I  found  specimens  of  twice 
that  length !  This  evening  the  vizier  treated  us  with  the  mar- 
row of  the  *'  sabade,"  which,  in  snow-white  pieces  of  about 
eight  inches  in  length,  was  neatly  placed  upon  a  straw  cover 
or  "  fefe,"  such  as  are  used  in  the  country.  While  indulging 
in  this  simple  African  dainty,  our  conversation  very  naturally 
turned  upon  the  cultivation  as  well  as  the  preparation  of  sugar, 
which  is  one  of  those  articles  of  European  industry  that  most 
excites  the  admiration  of  the  natives  of  this  country.  But 
when  they  learn  in  what  a  filthy  manner  it  is  refined,  they  be- 
come horrified,  and  hesitate  whether  they  shall  say  farewell  to 


340 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


this  indulgence  or  overcome  the  scruples  and  prejudices  of  their 
creed. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  "  sabade"  would  yield  a  rich 
produce  of  sugar ;  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  recourse  to 
this  expedient,  as  the  sugar-cane  itself  grows  wild  in  several 
regions  of  Negroland,  and  we  shall  actually  find  a  small  plan- 
tation of  it,  and  boiling-houses  on  a  small  scale,  carried  on  by  a 
native  in  the  neighborhood  of  Sokoto.  Our  conversation  at 
these  African  soirees  with  the  vizier  became  sometimes  so  learn- 
ed that  even  Ptolemy  with  his  '•''Mandros  oros^^  was  quoted. 
But,  sad  as  it  must  seem  to  all  who,  like  myself,  delight  in  go- 
ing back  into  remote  antiquity,  this  famous  mountain,  which  at 
the  first  sight  seems  to  be  an  ancient  memorial  of  the  Mandara 
Mountains,  of  some  1700  years  standing,  appears  to  belong  en- 
tirely to  Western  Africa.  Our  kind  host  always  found  great 
delight  in  every  kind  of  information ;  it  was  only  a  pity  he  was 
wanting  in  manly  energy  to  carry  out  his  good  projects. 

Monday^  December  8M.  Woe  to  those  regions  through  which 
an  army  takes  its  march  in  these  parts  of  the  world,  were  it 
even  their  own  country.  We  passed  this  morning  some  very 
extensive  corn-fields,  the  crops  of  which  were  of  the  most  luxu- 
riant growth ;  but,  notwithstanding  the  piteous  clamors,  and 
even  the  threats  of  the  slaves  who  were  watching  on  the  high- 
ly-raised platforms  in  order  to  keep  away  the  birds  from  the 
corn,  the  rich  ears  fell  a  prey  to  the  hungry  horsemen  for  their 
own  sustenance  and  that  of  their  animals.  These  raised  plat- 
forms are  here  called  "gorgo and  the  ropes  which  were  fast- 
ened between  them  and  the  trees  were  provided  with  small  hol- 
low gourds,  "  kare,"  filled  with  stones,  which,  when  set  in  mo- 
tion, were  intended  to  .-frighten  away  the  birds. 

After  a  tolerable  mkrch,  we  took  up  our  encampment  near 
the  straggling  hamlet  Delhe,  a  locality  touched  at  by  Major 
Denham  on  his  unfortunate  expedition  to  Mandara,  but  placed 
by  him  much  too  far  southward. 

All  the  cottages  in  these  Shuwa  villages  have  a  conical  roof 
rising  to  a  great  elevation,  and  tapering  like  a  sugar-loaf,  the 
thatch  being  put  on  in  a  very  irregular  way,  and  fastened  with 


VAEIATIONS  OF  TEMPERATUEE. 


341 


ropes,  thougli  it  is  pleasantly  and  cheerfully  adorned  by  the 
climbers  of  the  "  sagade"  or  "  kubewa,"  a  species  of  the  Cu- 
curbita  melojpepo  (squash  gourd),  if  not  identical  with  it,  the 
fruit  of  which,  when  boiled,  has  a  very  pleasant  taste,  and  in 
some  regions  of  Negroland,  as  far  as  Timbuktu,  forms  the  prin- 
cipal vegetable  for  seasoning  food. 

The  long  duration  of  the  rainy  season  here,  as  well  as  in 
A^damawa,  renders  sheds  for  the  cattle  necessary,  and  these 
consist  of  huts  constructed  similarly  to  the  dwellings  of  man, 
but  more  spacious,  with  the  exception  that  the  walls  consist 
merely  of  trunks  of  trees.  The  Shuwa  of  this  village,  as  well 
as  those  of  a  neighboring  one,  which,  after  the  name  of  a  chief, 
is  called  Haj  A^maka,  belong  to  the  tribe  of  the  Bulgowa  or 
'Awisiya.  The  place  where  we  encamped  was  full  of  brush- 
wood, and  it  took  us  a  long  time  to  pitch  our  tents. 

The  variation  of  the  temperature  was  so  great  that  I  caught 
a  severe  cold ;  it  was  therefore  agreeable  to  me  that  we  remain- 
ed here  the  following  day  ;  for  while,  during  the  greatest  heat, 
at  two  o'clock  P.M.,  the  thermometer  in  the  ventilated  tent 
showed  often  from  93^  to  96°  F.,  during  the  night  it  generally 
fell  to  between  50°  and  53°.  The  vizier  was  kind  enough, 
when  I  did  not  come  to  his  soiree,  to  send  one  of  his  young 
slaves  with  a  censer ;  but  I  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  excite  the 
anger  of  the  little  tyrannical  messenger,  who  wanted  me  to  im- 
itate their  own  custom,  which  is,  to  place  the  censer  under  their 
wide  shirt,  and,  by  drawing  the  opening  close  over  the  head,  to 
concentrate  the  fumes  arising  from  the  incense  under  their  shirt, 
and  receive  it  into  the  face,  while  I,  thinking  this  rather  too 
much,  was  satisfied  with  holding  my  face  over  it. 

Wednesday,  December  10th.  We  made  a  short  march  in  ad- 
vance, and  transferred  our  encampment  to  Diggera,  through  a 
country  where  wilderness  and  cultivated  gi'ound  alternated. 
Here  we  remained  the  five  following  days,  and  I  had  sufficient 
leisure  to  regret  that  I  was  not  better  provided  with  books. 
Anxious  to  employ  my  time  usefully,  I  began,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  two  Mandara,  or  rather  Wandala  slaves,  to  write  down 
a  vocabulary  of  the  language  of  that  country,  which  by  the  na- 


342 


TRAVELS  m  AFRICA. 


tives  themselves  is  called  "  A^ra-Wandala,"  as  they  call  their 
country  "  Khakh-Wandala"  or  "  Khakh-U'ndala." 

The  cold  which  we  experienced  during  our  stay  here  we  con- 
sidered very  severe,  at  least  from  an  African  point  of  view  and 
feeling,  for  in  Europe  it  would  have  been  thought  very  moder- 
ate. Fortunately,  our  encampment  was  more  comfortable  than 
it  had  been  at  Delhe,  and  presented  features  of  considerable  in- 
terest ;  for  here  we  saw  the  first  complete  example  of  those 
shallow,  stagnant  water-courses  which  are  so  highly  character- 
istic of  the  equatorial  regions  of  this  continent,  and  explain  at 
the  same  time  the  conflicting  statements  with  regard  to  the  di- 
rection of  so  many  water-courses  in  these  regions.  However, 
there  are  two  different  kinds  of  these  shallow  waters  :  first, 
such  as  are  in  immediate  connection  with  larger  rivers,  and  oft- 
en run  parallel  to  them,  and  which  most  appropriately  deserve 
to  be  called  backwaters ;  and,  secondly,  those  which  are  quite 
independent,  and  form  a  small  water-system  by  themselves. 
To  the  latter  kind  seems  to  belong  this  swampy  sheet  of  water, 
or  "  ngaljam,"  of  Diggera,  although  I  heard  some  Shuwa  affirm 
that  it  extended  to  the  Tsad. 

I  first  turned  my  steps  eastward,  w^here  the  encampment  ex- 
tended to  the  very  foot  of  the  beautiful  trees  which,  forming  a 
rich  border  of  the  finest  embroidery  from  the  hand  of  nature, 
girt  the  water.  Most  of  them  were  either  fig  (sycamore)  or 
tamarind-trees.  The  aspect  of  the  scenery  was  most  interest- 
ing, and  under  almost  every  tamarind-tree  a  group  of  people 
was  encamped. 

The  cavity  where  this  sheet  of  water  had  collected  formed  a 
very  slight  depression  in  the  meadow-ground ;  the  water,  to  all 
appearance,  had  already  decreased  considerably,  and  only  in  a 
few  places  presented  an  open  sheet,  being  in  general  closely 
overgrown  with  rank  grass  and  tall  reeds.  I  followed  it  to  a 
considerable  distance  toward  the  N.N.W.,  till  I  was  obliged  by 
the  thick  covert  to  retrace  my  steps,  and  then  turned  westward. 
The  far  larger  extension  of  the  water  during  the  rainy  season 
was  sufficiently  indicated  by  the  luxuriant  growth  of  trees.  I 
crossed  it  at  a  spot  where  it  was  not  so  extensive,  and  found 


THE  BAHAR  EL  GHAZAX. 


343 


the  bottom  of  it  extremeij  muddy,  wliich  made  the  passage 
rather  difficult,  though  the  water  was  only  two  and  a  half  feet 
deep.  The  indented  outlines  of  its  shores  greatly  distinguish- 
ed it  from  those  more  complete  and  regular-shaped  ngaljams 
which,  in  the  course  of  time,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  visiting, 
not  only  in  those  extensive  plains  between  the  Kiver  Benuwe 
and  Shari,  but  also  in  the  regions  of  the  middle  course  of  the 
so-called  Niger ;  for,  in  the  quarters  just  mentioned,  these  shal- 
low waters  or  meadow-waters  often  stretch  out,  in  a  straight 
or  regularly-sweeping  line,  like  artificial  canals,  to  an  immense 
distance,  especially  that  most  interesting  sheet  of  water  three 
days  west  of  Timbuktu,  the  "A^raf-n-aman,"  or  Ras  el  ma. 

Of  quite  a  different  nature  is  the  character  of  the  famous  Ba- 
har  el  Ghazal,  which  joins  the  Tsad  on  the  northeastern  side, 
being  a  broad  sandy  valley  girt  by  a  rich  border  of  vegetation. 
This  peculiar  valley,  which  it  was  not  our  destiny  to  become 
acquainted  with  by  ocular  inspection,  formed  the  subject  of  con- 
versation with  the  vizier  on  Sunday  evening,  and  a  disputa- 
tion arose  of  so  scientific  a  character  that  it  might  have  silenced 
all  those  who  scoff  at  the  uncivilized  state  of  the  population  of 
these  regions.  To  be  sure,  the  two  principal  persons  in  this 
conversation  were  Arabs,  but  their  forefathers  had  been  settled 
in  these  regions  for  at  least  ten  generations. 

Here  in  Di'ggera,  where  we  were  only  one  good  day's  march 
distant  from  the  capital  of  Mandara,  our  friends  were  obliged  to 
come  to  a  decision  upon  the  future  destination  of  the  expedition. 
After  the  news  which  had  arrived  some  days  previously  that  the 
petty  chief  of  Mandara,  whose  ancestor  had  once  completely  de- 
feated a  countless  host  of  the  Bornu  people,  had  decided  upon 
making  resistance,  they  had  been  very  silent  and  dejected,  and 
were  therefore  extremely  delighted  when  at  length,  to-day,  a 
servant  of  the  obstinate  vassal  made  his  appearance  with  a 
present  of  ten  beautiful  female  slaves  and  the  offer  of  complete 
submission.  So  at  least  we  were  told ;.  but  the  affair  seemed 
very  doubtful,  and  a  native  of  Mandara,  or,  as  they  say,  A^r- 
Wandala,  afterward  assured  me  that  his  master,  the  powerful 
"  Tukse"  of  Khakhundala,  had  been  so  far  from  making  his 


344 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


submission  to  the  insolent  "Mothake"  (by  this  name  they  call 
the  Bornu  people),  that,  on  the  contrary,  he  treated  them  with 
contempt.  Which  of  the  two  assertions  was  correct  I  do  not 
know ;  but  it  is  probable  that  the  chief  of  Mandara  thought  it 
prudent  to  consent  to  some  sort  of  compromise,  perhaps  through 
the  intermediation  of  'Abd  e'  Eahman,  the  sheikh's  brother. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  case,  the  vizier  informed  us  in 
the  evening,  in  a  very  cheerful  manner,  that  the  affair  with  Man- 
dara had  taken  the  most  favorable  turn,  and  that,  in  consequence, 
the  sheikh,  with  a  small  part  of  the  army,  was  to  retrace  his 
steps,  while  he  himself,  with  the  far  larger  portion,  was  to  under- 
take an  expedition  into  the  Musgu  country,  and  that  we,  of 
course,  were  to  accompany  him.  Now  we  were  well  aware  that 
the  object  of  this  expedition  was  partly  to  make  slaves,  and 
that,  in  our  character  as  messengers  of  the  British  government, 
we  ought  to  endeavor  to  keep  aloof  from  any  thing  connected 
with  the  infamous  subject  of  slavery ;  but  as  we  could  not  hin- 
der it  if  we  kept  back,  and  as,  by  accompanying  the  expedition, 
we  might  prevent  a  deal  of  mischief,  and  might  likewise  have 
a  fair  opportunity  of  convincing  ourselves  whether  what  was  re- 
lated of  the  cruelty  of  the  Mohammedans  in  these  expeditions 
was  true  or  exaggerated,  we  decided  upon  accompanying  the 
vizier.  At  the  same  time,  it  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
visit  that  very  region  which  was  the  object  of  the  expedition,  as 
it  was  the  only  way  to  decide  upon  the  relation  between  the 
central  basin  of  the  Tsad  and  the  great  western  river,  with  its 
eastern  branch,  while  there  was  no  possibility  of  visiting  it  by 
ourselves.  We  had  abeady  convinced  ourselves  that  the  coun- 
try of  the  Musgu  is  not,  as  Major  Denham  has  represented  it, 
a  mountainous,  inaccessible  tract ;  but  we  were  puzzled  at  the 
number  of  water-courses  of  which  our  informants  had  spoken, 
and  we  could  not  have  the  least  idea  how  fertile  a  country  it 
was,  and  how  far  remote  its  inhabitants  were  from  that  state  of 
barbarism  which  had  been  imputed  to  them.  We  therefore,  al- 
though reluctantly,  and  not  without  scruple,  at  length  determ- 
ined upon  accompanying  the  expedition  ;  and  I  hope  that  every 
considerate  person  who  takes  into  account  all  the  circumstances 
in  which  we  were  placed  will  approve  of  our  resolution. 


EXTENSIVE  RICE-FIELDS 


345 


'Wednesday ^  December  11th.  At  length  we  proceeded  onward, 
entering  new  regions  never  trodden  by  European  foot.  Our  de- 
parture having  been  delayed  in  the  morning,  owing  to  the  separ- 
ating of  the  aiTny,  we  started  rather  late,  leaving  the  sheikli,  with 
the  rest  of  the  "  kebu,"  behind.  The  country  at  once  presented 
a  new  and  interesting  feature.  Already  in  Bornu  a  considerable 
proportion  of  our  diet  had  consisted  of  native  rice,  and  we  had 
been  rather  astonished  at  its  black  color  and  bad  quality.  We 
had  heard  that  it  grew  wild  in  the  southern  provinces  of  the 
country,  but  we  had  never  yet  seen  it ;  and  it  was  only  this 
morning,  after  we  had  left  Diggera,  and  had  traversed  extensive 
stubble-fields  of  millet  intermixed  with  beans,  that  we  obtained 
a  first  view  of  a  "  shinkafaram,"  or  wild  rice-field,  in  the  midst 
of  the  forest.  We  were  then  no  longer  surprised  at  the  quality 
of  the  rice  brought  to  the  market  in  Kukawa  being  so  bad,  as 
we  felt  justified  in  presuming  that  the  elephant  would  have  sense 
enough  to  take  the  best  for  himself,  and  leave  the  rest  for  the 
people.  As  we  proceeded,  we  found  the  whole  wilderness,  al- 
though not  thickly  wooded,  full  of  pools  of  water  and  dense  rice- 
fields. 

The  country  to-day  presented  a  truly  tropical  aspect ;  and 
our  encampment,  lying  near  an  extensive  pond  or  small  lagoon, 
surrounded  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  rice  and  a  dense  border 
of  spreading  trees,  was  so  full  of  the  footprints  of  the  elephant 
that  scarcely  a  level  spot  of  two  or  three  feet  in  diameter  could 
be  found.  This  was  by  no  means  pleasant  in  our  present  mode 
of  living,  as  we  were  without  a  camp-stool,  or  any  thing  to  sit 
or  lie  upon  ;  for  the  argillaceous  soil  is  so  excessively  hard  that 
the  borders  of  these  holes,  produced  by  the  unwieldy  foot  of  the 
elephant,  cause  a  great  deal  of  pain  to  a  person  lying  on  the 
ground  with  nothing  but  a  mat  or  carpet. 

The  most  essential  instrument  on  this  whole  journey  was 
the  "lateram,"the  digging  instrument  (from  *'langin,"  "I  dig"), 
consisting  of  a  large  piece  of  wood  about  three  feet  long,  with  a 
heavy  iron  point ;  for  without  the  lateram  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  fix  the  dateram  (from  "dangin,"  I  fasten, stop"), 
or  the  pole  to  which  the  horses  are  fastened  duiing  the  night. 


346 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


In  general,  every  horseman  digs  the  hole  in  which  the  pole  is 
fastened  with  his  own  spear ;  but  this  soil  was  so  hard  that  it 
was  scarcely  possible  to  make  the  smallest  hole  in  it.  Of  course, 
during  the  rainy  season  it  is  just  as  soft  and  muddy  as  it  is 
hard  in  the  dry  season,  and  scarcely  passable  in  consequence. 

A  giraffe  was  caught  to-day.  I  had  been  of  opinion  that  this 
timorous  animal  was  not  found  in  the  thickly  inhabited  regions 
near  the  equator ;  but  I  soon  learned  from  experience  that  it  is 
not  at  all  rare  in  the  wildernesses  which  alternate  with  the 
densely  populated  regions  of  these  districts.  The  elephant, 
however,  is  the  predominant  animal  of  these  quarters ;  and  the 
large  market-place,  Fatawel,  which  I  have  mentioned  on  my 
journey  to  A^damawa,  and  the  Logon  town  Jena,  or  rather  Jin- 
na,  seem  to  be  of  considerable  importance  for  their  ivory-trade. 

In  the  evening  I  had  the  misfortune  to  be  stung  by  a  scor- 
pion, which  had  got  into  my  bernus.  As  I  had  not  noticed  the 
animal  in  the  dark,  and  thinking  that  it  was  nothing  but  one 
of  the  formidable  black  ants,  the  bite  of  which  is  very  painful, 
I  neglected  the  wound  at  first,  so  that  the  poison  penetrated  to 
the  shoulder,  and  rendered  my  right  arm  useless  for  two  days. 

Thursday^  December  V^tJi.  Seeing  that  we  were  now  entire- 
ly in  the  hands  of  the  vizier,  my  companion  and  I  used  to  pre- 
sent ourselves  at  his  tent  every  morning,  and  to  ride  for  some 
time  near  him.  I,  however,  soon  found  it  pleasanter  to  keep 
more  in  the  rear  of  the  army,  a  little  in  advance  of  his  female 
slaves  ;  and  in  the  narrow  paths  in  the  midst  of  the  forest,  where 
the  crowding  became  very  disagreeable,  I  used  to  keep  behind 
his  led  horses.  Of  female  slaves  on  horseback  and  led  horses 
the  vizier  had  with  him  the  moderate  number  of  eight  of  each 
kind,  while  the  sheikh  had  twelve ;  but  this  appeared  to  me  a 
small  number  when  I  afterward  saw  the  King  of  Bagirmi  re- 
turning from  the  expedition  with  a  string  of  forty-five  mounted 
female  partners.  These  black  damsels  were  all  clothed  in  white 
woolen  bernuses,  with  their  faces  completely  veiled,  and  were 
closely  watched. 

To-day  we  had  a  more  complete  specimen  of  that  peculiar 
kind  of  shallow  water  which  I  have  mentioned  above ;  and  the 


THE  COURT  OF  A'DISHE'N. 


347 


army,  while  they  were  winding  around  it,  on  the  fresh  green 
meadow-lands,  closely  hemmed  in  on  their  left  by  a  grove  of 
fine  trees,  presented  a  highly  interesting  scene.  From  thence, 
passing  through  a  thick  covert,  we  entered  the  beautiful  open 
district  of  Woloje,  which  comprises  several  hamlets.  Here  I 
was  amused  at  seeing  the  head  man  of  a  village  successfully 
putting  to  flight,  with  a  large  branch  of  a  tree,  a  troop  of  pilfer- 
ing horsemen.  A  little  beyond  these  hamlets  the  encampment 
was  chosen,  at  some  little  distance  from  a  very  extensive 
"  ngaljam." 

Our  conversation  with  the  vizier  in  the  evening  again  took  a 
geographical  turn,  owing  to  the  presence  of  his  spy  or  scout, 
who  had  just  returned  from  delivering  his  message  to  the  Mus- 
gu  prince  A^dishen.  The  vizier  was  as  yet  undecided  in  which 
direction  to  turn  his  steps ;  and  we  heard  a  native  chief,  of  the 
name  of  Puss  or  Fuss,  mentioned  in  a  manner  that  assured  us 
our  friends  were  afraid  to  attack  him.  A^dishen,  the  chief  just 
mentioned,  was  in  a  certain  degree  subject  to  the  rulers  of  Bor- 
nu ;  but  it  seemed  rather  an  ironical  assertion  that  this  prince 
would  be  pleased  with  the  arrival  of  the  expedition.  While  de- 
scribing his  reception  at  the  court  of  the  chief,  the  scout  indulged 
in  a  lively  description  of  the  customs  prevalent  among  these 
people,  whose  chief  had  only  outwardly  adopted  Islam.  His 
majesty,  he  said,  used  to  indulge  in  amorous  intercourse  with 
his  female  slaves,  of  whom  he  had  two  hundred,  before  the  eyes 
of  his  people — an  account  which  was  rather  confirmed  by  Ka- 
shella  Belal,  who  had  been  his  host  several  times.  Belal,  who 
was  a  very  jovial  old  fellow,  also  stated  that  this  little  prince 
was  not  jealous  of  the  favors  bestowed  by  his  female  partners 
upon  his  guests,  but,  on  the  contrary,  that  he  himself  volun- 
tarily gave  them  up  to  them.  Such  a  degrading  custom  may, 
indeed,  be  followed  by  this  petty  chief,  who  has  betrayed  his 
country  in  order  that,  by  the  influence  of  his  more  powerful 
neighbors,  he  might  rule  over  his  countrymen  ;  but  we  need  not 
draw  a  conclusion  from  him  as  to  the  customs  of  the  whole 
tribe,  although,  of  course,  they  regard  the  relation  of  the  sexes 
in  a  simpler  point  of  view  than  we  do. 


348 


TKAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Fridaij^  December  V^th,  The  country  through  which  we  pass- 
ed on  leaving  our  encampment  in  the  morning  was  most  charm- 
ing, and  of  a  most  expansive  bound,  and  exactly  suited  for  pas- 
toral tribes  like  the  Shuwa  and  Fulbe ;  but  traces  of  cultivation 
also,  and  even  of  cotton-fields,  were  not  wanting ;  while  further 
on  the  dum-bush  appeared,  and  was  after  a  while  succeeded  by 
the  tall,  fan-shaped  dum-palm  itself.  The  country  being  open, 
and  without  any  obstruction  whatever,  the  "kibu,"  or  army, 
marched  in  an  extended  line  of  battle,  "  bata,"  separated  into 
groups  of  the  most  varied  description  in  attire  and  appearance : 
the  heavy  cavalry,  clad  in  thick  wadded  clothing,  others  in  their 
coats  of  mail,  with  their  tin  helmets  glittering  in  the  sun,  and 
mounted  on  large,  heavy  chargers,  which  appeared  almost  op- 
pressed by  the  weight  of  their  riders  and  their  own  warlike  ac- 
coutrements ;  the  light  Shuwa  horsemen,  clad  only  in  a  loose 
shirt,  and  mounted  upon  their  weak,  unseemly  nags ;  the  self- 
conceited  slaves,  decked  out  gaudily  in  red  bernuses  or  silken 
dresses  of  various  colors ;  the  Kanembu  spearmen,  almost  na- 
ked, with  their  large  wooden  shields,  their  half-torn  aprons 
round  their  loins,  their  barbarous  head-dresses,  and  their  bun- 
dles of  spears ;  then,  in  the  distance  behind,  the  continuous 
train  of  camels  and  pack-oxen :  all  the  people  full  of  spirits, 
and  in  the  expectation  of  rich  booty,  pressing  onward  to  the 
unknown  regions  toward  the  southeast. 

It  was  an  exalted  feeling  of  unrestrained  liberty  which  ani- 
mated me  while,  mounted  on  my  noble  charger,  I  rode  silently 
along  at  the  side  of  this  motley  host,  contemplating  now  the 
fine,  beautiful  country,  now  the  rich  scenes  of  human  life,  which 
were  illumined  by  a  bright  morning  sun.  As  yet  no  blood  had 
been  shed  by  this  army,  and  neither  misery,  devastation,  nor 
the  horrors  of  people  torn  from  their  homes  cried  out  against  it. 
Every  one  seemed  to  think  only  of  sport  and  amusement.  Now 
and  then  a  stir  would  be  raised  in  the  whole  army  when  a  ga- 
zelle started  forth  from  the  thicket,  endeavoring  to  escape  from 
her  pursuers,  but  soon  found  herself  hemmed  in  on  every  side, 
while  Shuwa  horsemen  and  Kanembu  spearmen,  each  endeav- 
oring to  possess  himself  of  the  prize,  cried  out  to  his  rivals  in 


THE  ARMY  ON  THE  MARCH. 


349 


the  pursuit,  "  kolle,  kolle !"  "  leave  oif,  leave  off!"  as  if  the  prey 
was  already  his  own,  while  others  animated  their  companions 
by  shouting  out,  "gone,  gone!"  "chase,  chase!"  the  sounds 
re-echoing  from  one  troop  to  another ;  or  when  a  fat  Guinea- 
fowl,  "kaji,"  or  a  partridge,  "kwiye,"  roused  from  its  secure 
covert,  took  to  its  wings,  but,  trying  to  fly  over  those  widely- 
scattered  troops  of  hostile  men,  and  frightened  by  their  cries, 
was  soon  obliged  to  look  for  a  moment's  respite,  and,  after  a 
vain  struggle,  fell  a  prey  to  its  pursuers,  who  often,  while  they 
laid  hold  of  it,  tore  it  actually  into  pieces. 

The  wide,  open  country  seemed  to  invite  the  traveler  into  the 
far  distance ;  but  to-day  our  march  was  only  of  short  duration, 
and  before  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  new  encampment,  upon 
a  fresh  spot,  was  again  springing  up.  This  whole  country  is 
still  included  in  the  extensive  district  of  Woloje  ;  but  the  water, 
which  was  close  to  the  side  of  the  encampment,  has  the  peculiar 
name  of  Kodasale.  The  whole  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  dis- 
trict belong  to  the  Shuwa  tribe  of  the  Benese.  To  the  east  of 
Kodasale  lies  the  place  Lawari,  toward  the  west  Suggeme,  be- 
yond U'lba,  and  southwest  of  the  latter  Meme,  and  northwest 
Mom 6.  All  these  villages  are  inhabited  by  Shuwa  and  Kanuri 
in  common ;  beyond  is  the  wilderness  or  karaga. 

I,  too,  had  my  little  daily  "  nogona"  or  divan,  in  which  Ka- 
shella  Billama,  my  friend  from  AMamawa,  and  Haj  Edris,  form- 
ed my  principal  courtiers,  or  "  kokanawa,"  though  occasionally 
other  people  attended.  All  these  people  I  kept  attached  to  me 
by  presents  of  a  few  needles,  with  which  they  supplied  their 
wants  in  the  neighboring  villages.  Billama  informed  me  to-day 
that  for  three  needles  he  had  bought  sufficient  provision  for  his 
horse  for  one  day ;  for  two  he  had  bought  a  wooden  bowl,  or 
"  bukuru  ;"  and  for  six  more  a  good  supply  of  meat.  Thus  this 
insignificant  production  of  European  industry  became  of  the 
highest  value  to  me ;  and  it  obtained  still  more  value  and  im- 
portance, in  the  course  of  my  journey  to  Bagirmi,  when  it  con- 
stituted my  only  wealth,  and,  in  consequence,  procured  me  the 
noble  title  of  "needle-prince,"  "malaribra." 

We  remained  here  the  following  day,  as  the  army  had  to  pro- 


350 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


vide  itself  with  corn,  or  rather  Negro  grain,  as  we  were  told  that 
we  should  enter  upon  a  wild,  uncultivated  tract,  the  border  re- 
gion between  the  seats  of  the  Mohammedans  and  those  of  the 
pagan  tribes,  which,  as  is  generally  the  case  in  these  parts  of  the 
world,  has  been  reduced  to  desolation. 

Each  of  the  surrounding  villages  had  to  send  two  ox-loads 
of  grain,  which,  however,  did  not  benefit  the  army  in  general, 
but  fell  entirely  to  the  share  of  the  friends  and  followers  of  La- 
mino,  the  remainder  of  this  immense  host  being  thrown  upon 
their  own  resources.  All  the  grain  was  carried  on  asses.  It 
was  in  this  encampment  that  the  vizier  made  a  present  to  Mr. 
Overweg  of  a  small  lion.  He  had  given  him,  on  a  former  oc- 
casion, a  "  summoli."  This  is  a  very  ferocious  cat,  of  rather 
rare  occurrence,  which  is  said  not  only  to  attack  gazelles,  but 
young  cattle  or  calves.  It  was  of  a  light  brown  color,  the  hind 
part,  however,  being  black,  and  had  very  pointed,  upright  ears, 
"  summo,"  a  circumstance  from  which  the  name  has  been  de- 
rived. The  ears,  moreover,  are  ornamented  with  a  black  stripe. 
A  great  many  curious  stories  are  related  by  the  people  with  re- 
gard to  the  ferocity  of  this  animal,  and  from  what  we  ourselves 
had  an  opportunity  of  observing,  it  seems  to  be  a  marvelous 
little  creature;  for,  though  still  very  young  and  small,  it  was 
nevertheless  extremely  fierce,  and  was  quite  master  of  the  young 
lion.  Both  animals  were  fed  with  boiled  milk,  of  which  they 
were  very  fond  ;  but  the  continual  swinging  motion  which  they 
had  to  endure  on  the  back  of  the  camels  in  the  heat  of  the  day 
caused  their  death  very  soon. 

Sunday^  December  21st.  The  crowding  and  thronging  was 
excessive  when  we  started  in  order  to  pursue  our  march.  The 
wilderness  at  first  was  tolerably  clear,  being  at  times  evidently 
a  place  of  resort  for  numerous  herds  of  elephants,  as  the  quan- 
tity of  dung,  and  the  uninterrupted  tracks  of  deep  footprints, 
which  gave  to  the  soil  the  appearance  of  a  colossal  chessboard, 
amply  testified.  After  a  march  of  about  six  miles  the  wilder- 
ness became  more  thickly  overgrown,  and  presented  a  fine  forest 
scenery ;  but,  as  is  generally  the  case  on  such  warlike  expedi- 
tions, there  is  no  leisure  to  pay  attention  to  special  phenomena. 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  JUNGLE. 


351 


especially  as  the  Bornu- horses  are  in  general  very  wild  and  vi- 
cious,, and  in  the  throng  every  body  was  continually  liable  to 
come  into  collision  with  his  neighbor's  horse,  which,  perchance, 
might  be  a  furious  kicker. 

The  general  character  of  this  jungle  was  this.  The  ground 
was  covered  with  dum-bush,  which  formed  a  thick  brushwood, 
and  here  and  there  with  rank  grass,  while  the  forest  in  general 
consisted  of  middle-sized  trees,  chiefly  mimosas  and  kalgos, 
though  there  were  other  specimens,  especially  the  kokia-tree, 
which  I  had  first  seen  on  my  journey  from  Gezawa  to  Katsena, 
the  trees  of  smaller  size  being  separated  into  groups  by  large, 
spreading  specimens  of  the  vegetable  kingdom,  mostly  of  the 
ficus  kind ;  for  monkey-bread-trees  seemed  to  be  wanting  en- 
tirely, and  altogether  I  saw  few  specimens  of  this  tree  in  the 
Miisgu  country.  Very  remarkable  nests  of  birds,  suspended 
from  the  branches,  w^ere  observed,  not  unlike  a  purse,  with  a 
long,  narrow  neck  hanging  down  and  forming  the  entrance  ;  or, 
rather,  like  a  chemist's  retort  suspended  from  the  head,  the  shank 
being  several  inches  long,  and  the  w^hole  beautifully  fabricated 
with  the  most  surprising  skill.  Of  the  skillful  manufacturers 
of  these  fine  dwellings  we  did  not  obtain  a  sight ;  but  probably 
it  is  a  species  of  loxia.  In  this  thick  covert,  several  young  ele- 
phants were  hunted  down,  and  even  the  giraffe  seemed  frequent. 

The  place  which  we  chose  for  our  encampment  was  adorned 
by  numerous  fan-palms,  which,  although  in  general  identical 
with  the  species  called  Chamcero^s  hmnilis,  nevertheless  by 
their  height  appeared  to  be  a  distinct  variety,  and  gave  to  the 
encampment  a  very  picturesque  appearance.  The  forest  was 
here  so  dense  that  only  the  spot  where  the  vizier  encamped  to- 
gether with  his  own  followers  was  free  from  brushwood,  while 
all  the  other  people  were  first  obliged  to  clear  the  ground  with 
much  trouble.  This  was  the  first  day  since  our  setting  out 
that  we  made  a  tolerable  march.  The  whole  manner  in  which 
the  expedition  was  conducted  was  a'n  unmistakable  proof  of  an 
efi'eminate  court,  especially  if  we  take  into  account  the  principle 
of  carrying  on  war  in  these  countries,  where  only  sudden  inroads 
can  insure  any  great  success.    In  the  evening  there  arrived  a 


352 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


small  complimentary  present  from  A''dishen,  the  tributary  Musgu 
chief,  consisting  of  live  horses  and  twenty  oxen.  But  while  in 
this  manner  the  more  influential  men  in  the  army  were  well  sup- 
plied with  food,  the  greater  part  were  badly  off,  and  most  of 
them  were  reduced  to  the  core  of  the  dum-bush  or  ngille,  which 
by  the  Bornu  people  is  facetiously  called  "  kumbu  biUabe,"  '*  the 
food  of  the  country  town."  But  a  good  sportsman  might  have 
obtained  better  food  for  himself,  and  we  even  got  a  small  ostrich 
egg  from  the  vizier. 

It  was  a  great  pity  that  we  had  purposely  avoided  the  more 
frequented  and  general  road,  which  passes  by  several  settlements 
of  the  Fulbe  or  Fellata,  in  order  not  to  give  any  trouble  to  the 
latter ;  for  no  doubt  that  track  would  have  been  far  more  inter- 
esting, as  well  from  a  natural  point  of  view  as  with  regard  to 
the  political  state  of  the  country,  as  it  would  have  given  us  the 
clearest  insight  into  the  way  in  which  that  enterprising  and 
restless  people  is  pushing  on  every  day  more  and  more,  and 
strangling,  as  it  were,  the  little  kingdom  of  Mandara. 

Ifonclay,  December  22d.  Dense  forest  continued  to  prevail 
during  the  first  five  miles  of  our  march.  It  then  cleared,  and 
was  succeeded  by  considerable  fields  of  wild  rice,  most  of  which 
was  burned  down ;  for,  as  I  have  repeatedly  had  occasion  to 
mention,  all  these  wildernesses  of  Central  Africa  are  set  on  fire 
after  the  rainy  season.  The  whole  ground  in  this  district  was 
one  uninterrupted  succession  of  holes  made  by  the  foot  of  the 
elephant,  which  obstructed  the  march  of  the  army  very  consid- 
erably, and  was  the  reason  of  several  horses  being  lamed.  Sa- 
lah,  a  younger  brother  of  the  vizier,  a  very  intelligent  man, 
broke  his  arm.  A  herd  of  six  elephants  was  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  after  a  great  deal  of  confusion,  one  animal,  which  got 
between  the  horsemen,  was  killed.  It  is  no  wonder  that  these 
regions  are  so  frequented  by  them,  as  they  find  here  plenty  of 
the  choicest  food.  The  jungles  of  wild  rice  were  only  inter- 
rupted for  a  short  time  by  a  tract  covered  with  dum-bush. 
Water  was  plentiful,  every  now  and  then  a  considerable  pond 
appearing,  girt  by  beautiful  trees,  and  at  present  enlivened  by 
groups  of  horsemen,  who  were  watering  their  animals. 


ENTERING  THE  MU'SGU  COUNTRY. 


353 


After  a  inarch  of  about  fifteen  miles  we  encamped  close  to  a 
larger  sheet  of  water,  which  was  full  of  fish  of  the  species  called 
"begeli,"  and  enabled  us  to  give  to  our  food  that  day  more  va- 
riety, the  forest,  as  well  as  the  water,  contributing  its  share ; 
for,  besides  the  fish,  we  had  roast  hare  and  elephant's  flesh, 
which  was  very  palatable,  and  much  like  pork. 

Tuesday^  Dece7nher  23d.  Three  heavy  strokes  upon  the  drum, 
at  the  dawn  of  day,  set  our  mgtley  host  once  more  in  motion. 
It  was  an  important  day,  and  many  of  the  principal  people  had 
exchanged  their  common  dress  for  a  more  splendid  attire.  We 
entered  the  Musgu  country,  and  at  the  same  time  came  into 
contact  with  fragments  of  that  nation  who,  having  spread  from 
the  far  west  over  one  half  of  Africa,  are  restlessly  pushing  for- 
ward and  overwhelming  the  pagan  tribes  in  the  interior.  These 
are  the  Fulbe  or  Fellata,  the  most  interesting  of  all  Afi'ican 
tribes,  who,  having  been  driven  from  Bornu,  have  here  laid  the 
foundation  of  a  new  empire. 

Twice  on  our  march  we  were  obliged  to  make  a  halt :  the 
first  time  owing  to  the  arrival  of  A''dishen,  the  Musgu  chief, 
with  a  troop  of  naked  horsemen  mounted  on  a  breed  of  small, 
unseemly,  but  strong  ponies,  without  saddles  and  bridles,  and 
presenting  altogether  a  most  barbarous  and  savage  spectacle. 
The  second  halt  was  caused  by  the  appearance  of  a  Pullo  or 
Fellata  chief,  with  two  hundred  horsemen  of  his  nation,  who, 
by  their  shirts  and  shawls,  their  saddles  and  bridles,  certainly 
claimed  a  higher  degree  of  civilization,  but  who,  nevertheless, 
were  far  from  exhibiting  a  grand  appearance.  This  chief  was 
an  officer  of  Khursu,  the  ruler  of  the  town  or  principality  of 
Fette  or  Pette,  which  we  had  left  at  a  short  distance  to  the 
west.  He  came  to  join  this  expedition,  the  object  of  which  was 
to  weaken  the  Musgu  tribes,  who,  behind  their  natural  defenses 
of  rivers  and  swamps,  had  hitherto  been  able  to  maintain  their 
independence. 

Of  course,  on  this  occasion  the  policy  of  these  Fulbe  chiefs 
went  hand  in  hand  with  that  of  the  Bornu  people,  although  it  is 
not  a  little  remarkable,  and  serves  to  show  the  slight  political 
unity  existing  between  the  integral  parts  of  these  empires,  that 

Vol.  II.— Z 


354 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


while  the  Governor  of  A^damawa  was  at  present  on  a  hostile 
footing  with  the  ruler  of  Bornu,  one  of  his  vassals  was  allowed 
to  enter  into  an  alliance  with  the  latter. 

After  these  interruptions  we  pursued  our  march,  and  reached, 
about  half  an  hour  before  noon,  the  northernmost  of  the  Miisgu 
villages,  which  is  called  Gabari,  surrounded  by  rich  fields  of 
native  grain ;  but  every  thing  presented  a  sad  appearance  of 
pillage  and  desolation.  None  of  the  inhabitants  were  to  be  seen; 
for,  although  subjects  of  A^dishen,  who  enjoyed  the  friendship 
and  protection  of  the  rulers  of  Bornu,  they  had  thought  it  more 
prudent  to  take  care  of  their  own  safety  by  flight  than  to  trust 
themselves  to  the  discretion  of  the  undisciplined  army  of  their 
friends  and  protectors.  The  preceding  evening  the  order  had 
been  issued  through  the  encampment  that  all  the  property  in 
the  villages  of  A^dishen  should  be  respected,  and  nothing  touch- 
ed, from  a  cow  to  a  fowl,  grain  only  excepted,  which  was  de- 
clared to  be  at  the  disposal  of  every  body. 

It  was  rather  remarkable  that  the  greatest  part  of  the  crops 
were  still  standing,  although  we  had  been  lingering  so  long  on 
our  road,  and  had  given  sufficient  time  to  the  people  to  secure 
them  for  themselves.  All  the  grain  consisted  of  the  red  species 
of  holcus,  called  by  the  Bornu  people  "  ngaberi  kerne,"  which 
grows  here  to  the  exclusion  of  the  white  species  and  that  of 
millet.  All  the  people  of  the  army  were  busy  in  threshing  the 
grain  which  they  had  just  gathered  at  the  expense  of  their 
friends,  and  loading  their  horses  with  it.  Even  the  fine  nutri- 
tive grass  from  the  borders  of  the  swamp,  which,  woven  into 
long  festoons,  the  natives  had  stored  up  in  the  trees  as  a  pro- 
vision against  the  dry  season,  was  carried  off,  and,  notwith- 
standing the  express  order  to  the  contrary,  many  a  goat,  fowl, 
and  even  articles  of  furniture,  which  had  been  left  behind  by  the 
natives,  fell  a  prey  to  the  greedy  host. 

The  spectacle  of  this  pillage  was  the  more  saddening,  as  the 
village  not  only  presented  an  appearance  of  comfort,  but  exhib- 
ited in  a  certain  degree  the  industry  of  its  inhabitants.  In 
general,  each  court-yard  contained  a  group  of  from  three  to  six 
huts,  according  to  the  number  of  wives  of  the  owner.  The 


NATIVE  ARCHITECTURE.— SPLENDID  TREES.  355 


walls  of  the  dwellings,  without  a  single  exception,  were  built 
of  clay,  which  in  the  court-yards  of  the  richer  people  even  form- 
ed the  building  material  of  the  fences.  The  roofs  of  the  cot- 
tages were  thatched  with  great  care,  and  at  least  as  well  as  in 
any  house  or  village  in  Bornu,  and  far  superior  to  the  thatching 
of  the  Shuwa.  The  roofs  even  exhibited  traces  of  various 
styles,  and  perhaps  a  certain  gradation  in  the  scale  of  society. 
Almost  every  court-yard  inclosed  a  shed, 
besides  the  huts,  and  one  granary  built  of 
clay,  and  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  high, 
with  an  arched  roof,  likewise  of  clay,  there 
being  an  opening  at  the  top,  which  was  pro- 
tected by  a  small  cover  of  thatching,  as  the 
accompanying  wood-cut  shows.  The  way 
in  which  the  natives  had  stored  up  their  sup- 
ply of  hay  for  the  dry  season  was  very  re- 
markable, the  rank  grass  being  woven  into 
festoons  of  about  fifteen  feet  in  length,  and  hung  up  in  the  kor- 
na-trees  which  adorned  the  fields. 

Having  roved  about  at  my  leisure,  I  pursued  my  march, 
and,  emerging  from  the  corn-fields,  entered  upon  open  meadow- 
grounds,  partly  under  water,  which  spread  out  to  a  considerable 
extent,  and  which,  with  their  fresh  green  turf,  formed  a  beauti- 
ful contrast  to  the  tall  yellow  crops  which  I  had  just  left  be- 
hind. Ascending  a  little,  we  kept  straight  toward  a  group  of 
splendid  trees  which  adorned  the  fields  in  front  of  another  vil- 
lage. The  village  was  called  Korom,  and  belonged  to  a  chief 
under  the  authority  of  A^dishen,  while  Kade,  the  residence  of 
the  latter,  was  only  at  a  short  distance.  In  these  fields  the  viz- 
ier had  dismounted  and  chosen  the  place  for  the  encampment ; 
and  it  was  with  a  sad,  sympathetic  feeling  that  I  witnessed  the 
lopping  of  the  rich  branches  of  the  fine  trees,  w^hich  were,  with- 
out doubt,  the  most  splendid  specimens  of  the  karage-tree  which 
I  had  seen  in  Negroland,  not  excepting  those  in  the  Marghi 
country.  The  largest  among  them  measured  not  less  than 
eighty  feet  in  height,  and  the  diameter  of  their  crown  could 
scarcely  be  less ;  but  the  foliage  of  this  tree  is  by  no  means  so 


356 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


dense  and  so  regularly-shaped  as  that  of  the  fig  or  tamarind- 
tree.  None  of  these  fine  trees  which  had  adorned  the  land- 
scape escaped  destruction,  in  order  to  provide  fences  for  the 
larger  tents ;  but  the  few  monkey-bread-trees  which  here  ap- 
peared, owing  to  the  scanty  foliage  with  which  their  gigantic 
branches  were  decked  out,  escaped  unhurt. 

Here  we  remained  the  two  following  days,  and  the  encamp- 
ment became  very  confined,  the  more  so  as  the  ground  was 
rather  uneven.  The  delay  could  scarcely  be  defended  in  a 
strategetical  point  of  view,  as  it  could  not  but  serve  to  put  all 
the  neighboring  chiefs,  who  were  hostile  to  A'dishen,  on  their 
guard  against  any  sudden  inroad.  But  it  was  well  that  they 
did  so,  as  by  a  sudden  inroad  the  poor  persecuted  natives  might 
have  been  totally  annihilated. 

In  order  to  employ  my  leisure  hours,  I  looked  about  for  in- 
formation respecting  the  country  we  had  just  entered,  and  was 
fortunate  enough  to  collect  some  valuable  data.* 

The  Miisgu  or  Museku  are  a  division  of  the  great  nation  of 

the  Masa,t  which  comprises  the  Kotoko  or  Makari,  the  people 

of  Logon  or  Logone,  the  Mandara  or  U^r  Wandala,  with  the 

Gamerghu,  and  the  large  tribe  of  the  Batta,  and  probably  even 

that  of  the  Mbana.    Of  these  tribes,  the  most  intimately  related 

to  the  Musgu  are  the  people  of  Logon,  who,  as  we  shall  soon 

*  I  here  give  a  list  of  the  chief  principalities  and  places  of  the  Musgu  coun- 
try. First,  at  a  short  distance  east  from  Kade,  the  residence  of  A'dishen,  there 
is  a  place  called  Mayum ;  then  a  small  place  called  Maga ;  then  Barka,  at  pres- 
ent deserted  ;  Masanafa,  residence  of  the  Prince  Asanafay,  after  whom  the  whole 
principality  is  called ;  Marabna ;  I'ka  ;  Biilno ;  Makalne,  probably  originally  the 
residence  of  a  Prince  Akalne,  but  at  present  the  residence  of  the  powerful  chief 
Kabishme  ;  Suran  ;  Mazaga,  the  residence  of  a  powerful  chief  who  generally,  aft- 
er the  name  of  the  whole  principality,  is  named  Fuss,  but  whose  real  name  seems 
to  be  Ngoimata ;  Luggoy ;  Barea ;  Bugunla,  with  a  chief  Hyyum ;  Mbogtam ; 
Boiboy  ;  Kubasemi,  with  a  Prince  Margo ;  Kalan ;  Ngelmong ;  Morom,  with  a 
chief  Saderanza  ;  Biillum ;  Bege ;  Madalang ;  Kasway,  which  on  our  farther 
march  we  left  a  little  to  the  east ;  the  principality  Kakala;  Dwan  or  Adwan,  to- 
ward the  southwest;  Gemay,  a  large  place,  southeast;  Wuliya;  Demmo,  A'u- 
dege  ;  Agse.  Some  of  these  places  are  districts,  which  we  shall  touch  at  in  the 
course  of  the  expedition ;  the  position  of  the  others  I  am  not  able  to  fix  with 
certainty. 

t  The  Bagi'rmi  people,  even  at  the  present  day,  call  the  Musgu  by  the  name 
Masa  Museku. 


AFFINITY  OF  THE  MU'SGU. 


357 


have  occasion  to  show,  are  nothing  but  a  section  which  has 
quite  recently  separated  from  the  parent  stock,  and  constituted 
itself  as  a  distinct  community,  owing  to  its  higher  state  of  civ- 
ilization. Among  the  various  divisions  of  the  Kotoko,  Ngala 
and  Klesem  seem  to  be  most  nearly  related  to  the  Musgu. 

However  insignificant  the  tribe  of  the  Musgu  may  appear  in 
the  eyes  of  the  European,  the  dialects  of  the  various  communi- 
ties into  which  it  is  split,  owing  to  the  hostile  manner  in  which 
they  are  opposed  to  one  another,  and  their  entire  want  of  friend- 
ly intercourse,  differ  so  much  that,  as  I  was  assured,  the  people 
of  Luggoy  have  great  difficulty  in  understanding  those  of  Wu- 
liya  and  Demmo.  Unfortunately,  I  had  no  opportunity  of  col- 
lecting specimens  of  the  other  dialects  besides  that  spoken  by 
the  people  of  Luggoy.  Their  principal  "  safi"  or  fetish  consists 
in  a  long,  spear-like  pole,  similar  to  that  of  the  Marghi ;  but, 
nevertlieless,  there  seems  to  be  a  considerable  difference  in  their 
superstitious  worship ;  for  while  with  the  Margin  the  pole  ap- 
pears to  be  rather  a  symbol  than  an  image  of  the  deity,  and  the 
real  worship  is  attached  to  the  sacred  locality,  with  the  Musgu 
tribes  I  did  not  see  a  single  specimen  of  the  sacred  grove.  The 
Musgu  call  their  fetish  "kefe." 

In  the  afternoon  I  attended  some  time  at  the  vizier's,  and 
here  made  the  acquaintance  of  an  interesting  and  adventurous 
old  man  of  the  name  of  M'allera  Jemme  or  Jymma,  who  took 
the  principal  part  in  the  conversation.  The  history  of  this  man 
is  highly  characteristic,  as  showing  what  a  large  field  is  open  to 
the  ambition  of  enterprising  Mohammedans  in  the  pagan  states 
to  the  south.  Threatened  with  capital  punishment  by  the  old 
sheikh,  that  is  to  say,  Mohammed  el  Amin  el  Kanemi,  on  ac- 
count of  his  disobedience,  this  Shuwa  chieftain  had  fled  to  the 
pagans,  and  had  there  succeeded  in  establishing  gradually,  by 
his  own  energy  and  mental  superiority,  a  small  principality ; 
but  at  present,  for  some  reason  or  other,  he  had  been  expelled, 
and  had  recourse  to  the  Vizier  of  Bornu  for  assistance  to  recover 
his  former  power.  His  great  knowledge  of  the  country,  and  the 
different  tribes  which  inhabited  it  made  him  a  welcome  guest ; 
but  as  for  himself,  he  did  not  succeed  in  his  ambitious  projects. 


358 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


In  reference  to  my  expedition  to  A^damawa,  I  have  already  made 
use  of  the  authority  of  this  man  in  giving  an  account  of  the 
route  which  connects  the  southernmost  point  on  our  expedition 
to  J^Iusgu  with  the  places  fixed  by  me  along  the  River  Be- 
nuwe. 

The  m'allem  was  not  very  communicative,  and,  unfortunately, 
I  had  no  handsome  present  to  make  him,  or  else  I  might  have 
learned  from  him  an  immense  deal  with  regard  to  the  geography 
and  character  of  these  countries,  which,  I  have  no  doubt,  not 
long  hence,  will  become  of  considerable  importance  to  Euro- 
peans ;  for  while  these  regions,  situated  between  the  Bivers  Be- 
nuwe  and  Shari,  seem  to  be  extremely  rich  and  fertile,  and  ca- 
pable— on  account  of  the  uniform  level  of  their  unbroken  plains 
of  the  highest  state  of  cultivation,  they  are  the  most  accessible, 
on  account  of  the  extensive  water-communication,  which,  ren- 
dered available  by  the  application  of  a  very  small  degree  of  art 
and  industry,  will  open  an  easy  access  into  the  heart  of  Central 
Africa.  Of  course,  after  the  rainy  season,  when  all  these  count- 
less water-courses,  which  intersect  the  country  in  every  direc- 
tion, and  without  any  apparent  inclination,  inundate  the  country, 
the  climate  in  the  plains  can  not  be  very  healthy ;  but  isolated 
mountains  and  hills  are  scattered  by  the  hand  of  nature  through 
these  luxuriant  plains,  capable  of  affording  more  healthy  locali- 
ties for  settlements. 

Owing  to  the  presence  of  the  adventurer  just  mentioned,  the 
conversation  that  evening  was  very  animated,  till  at  length  the 
courtiers,  or  "  kokanawa,"  withdrew  behind  the  curtains  of  the 
vizier's  tent  in  order  to  take  a  little  refreshment.  I  then  took 
my  leave,  but  I  had  only  gone  a  short  distance  when  I  was  call- 
ed back,  being  informed  that  it  would  no  doubt  be  interesting 
to  me  to  witness  an  audience  of  A^dishen,  the  Musgu  chief,  who 
was  just  about  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  commander-in-chief. 
I  therefore  returned  to  the  vizier's  tent,  where  the  courtiers  had 
again  taken  their  post,  according  to  their  rank  and  station,  on 
each  side  of  their  leader. 

After  a  short  time  the  Musgu  chief  arrived,  accompanied  by 
his  three  brothers,  mounted,  as  is  their  custom,  upon  horses 


A'DISHE'N.  359 

without  saddle  or  bridle.  Great  numbers  of  people  had  collect- 
ed in  front  of  the  tent,  and  saluted  him  with  scoffs  and  impor- 
tunities ;  but  the  pagan  chief  did  not  allow  himself  to  be  put 
out  of  countenance  by  the  insolence  of  the  slaves,  but  preserved 
his  princely  dignity.  At  length  the  curtains  of  the  spacious 
tent  were  drawn  back,  and  in  came  the  native  prince.  He  was 
of  a  short,  stout  figure,  and  rather  mild,  but  not  very  prepos- 
sessing features,  and  apparently  between  fifty  and  sixty  years 
of  age.  He  wore  a  black  tobe,  but  no  trowsers,  and  was  bare- 
headed. Kneeling  on  the  ground,  and  clapping  his  hands,  while 
he  repeated  the  complimentary  words  "Alia  ngubberu  dega!" 
(God  give  you  long  life!)  according  to  the  custom  of  the  "kati 
gotsin,"  he  took  up  sand  and  sprinkled  it  upon  his  head ;  but 
as  soon  as  he  had  gone  through  this  form  of  abject  submission, 
he  assumed  his  character  as  a  native  chief.  Thus  at  once  he 
complained  of  his  western  neighbors,  the  Fulbe  or  Fellata,  or, 
as  the  Musgu  people  call  them,  Chogchogo ;  for  they,  he  said, 
had  anticipated  the  Vizier  of  Bornu,  carrying  off  cattle  and  oth- 
er things  from  his  territory.  The  Bornu  chief  assured  him  that 
for  the  future  he  should  not  be  exposed  to  such  injustice,  but 
that  he  was  entirely  under  the  protection  of  Bornu.  He  then 
made  a  sign,  and  some  parcels  were  opened,  and  A^dishen  was 
officially  installed  as  a  vassal  and  officer  of  Bornu.  First,  he 
was  dressed  in  an  elephant-shirt — the  large  black  shirt  from 
Xiife — over  which  a  rich  silk  tobe  was  thrown,  and  over  all  an 
Egyptian  shawl,  while  the  self  -  conceited  courtiers,  in  their 
proud  consciousness  of  a  higher  state  of  civilization,  treated  him 
with  contempt  and  scorn.  My  cheerful  old  friend  Kashella  Be- 
lal,  who  had  decked  him  out  in  this  finery,  paid  him  the  usual 
compliments,  exclaiming  "  Ngubberu  dega  mama,  ngubberu 
dega  maina ! "  maina  being  the  title  of  the  governor  of  a  prov- 
ince. 

Thus  this  petty  pagan  chief  had  become,  in  an  official  style, 
a  kind  of  officer  of  Bornu,  and  in  this  manner  was  alone  capable 
of  preserving  his  unenviable  existence,  at  what  sacrifices  we 
shall  soon  see.  The  Musgu  nation  is  situated  so  unfavorably, 
surrounded  by  enemies  on  all  sides,  that,  even  if  they  were  link- 


360 


TRAVELS  IN  AFEICA. 


ed  together  by  the  strictest  unity,  they  would  scarcely  be  able 
to  preserve  their  independence.  How,  then,  should  they  be  able 
to  withstand  their  enemies,  separated  as  they  are  into  numerous 
petty  dominions,  and  having  no  further  object  than  to  enslave 
and  pillage  their  neighbors  and  kinsmen?  Nothing  but  the 
number  of  swampy  water-courses  which  intersect  the  country  in 
all  directions,  and  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year  render  it 
impassable  for  hostile  armies,  while  even  during  the  remaining 
part  the  principal  rivers  afford  natural  lines  of  defense,  behind 
which  the  inhabitants  may  seek  refuge,  can  explain  how  the 
country  is  so  well  peopled  as  it  is,  although  the  intervening 
tracts  have  been  already  laid  waste. 

Toward  the  north  there  are  the  Kanuri,  powerful  by  their 
numerous  cavalry  and  the  advantage  of  fire-arms ;  toward  the 
west  and  southwest  the  restless  Fulbe  continually  advancing ; 
toward  the  northeast  the  people  of  Logon,  originally  their  near 
kinsmen,  but  at  present  opposed  to  them  by  difference  of  relig- 
ion ;  toward  the  east,  the  wild  Bagrimma  people,  proud  of  their 
supposed  pre-eminence  in  religion,  and  eager  for  the  profits  of 
the  slave-trade.  All  these  people  hunting  them  down  from  ev- 
ery quarter,  and  carrying  away  yearly  hundreds,  nay,  even  thou- 
sands of  slaves,  must,  in  the  course  of  time,  exterminate  this 
unfortunate  tribe. 

To-day  was  Christmas-day;  and  my  companion  and  I,  in  con- 
formity with  a  custom  of  our  native  town,  tried  in  vain  to  pro- 
cure some  fish  for  a  more  luxurious  entertainment  in  the  even- 
ing. The  meat  of  giraffes,  which  formed  the  greatest  of  our 
African  luxuries,  was  not  to  be  obtained ;  and  as  for  elephant's 
flesh,  which  we  were  able  to  get,  although  we  both  liked  it,  we 
had  too  sadly  experienced  its  bad  effect  upon  the  weak  state  of 
our  bowels  to  try  it  again.  Hence,  in  order  to  celebrate  the 
evening,  we  were  reduced  to  coffee  and  milk,  with  which  we  re- 
galed ourselves. 

We  remained  here  the  following  day,  under  the  pretext  that 
the  Fiilbe,  who  had  joined  us,  had  not  yet  had  an  audience;  but, 
although  the  effeminate  courtiers  were  averse  to  any  great  exer- 
tion, the  bulk  of  the  army,  who  had  neither  pay,  nor  were  allow- 


A  VISIT  TO  A'DISHE'N. 


361 


ed  to  plunder  in  order  to  obtain  their  necessary  supplies,  were 
not  very  well  pleased  with  this  delay,  and  caused  a  great  uproar 
while  marching  in  battle-order  before  the  tents  of  their  chiefs, 
and  giving  vent  to  their  feelings  by  shaking  and  beating  their 
shields.  On  former  expeditions,  the  light  troops  of  the  Shuwa 
and  Kanembu  had  always  been  allowed  to  march  some  distance 
in  advance  of  the  army,  in  order  to  supply  their  wants  ;  but  on 
this  occasion  a  strict  order  had  been  issued  that  no  one  should 
go  in  advance. 

In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Overweg  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  A^dishen, 
at  his  residence  in  Kad^,  which  was  about  half  an  hour's  march 
distant  toward  the  south.  He  returned  in  the  evening  with  the 
present  of  a  goat,  but  did  not  seem  to  be  greatly  pleased  with 
his  excursion ;  and  it  could  scarcely  be  otherwise ;  for,  while 
these  pagans,  who  were  obliged  to  disown  all  national  feeling, 
could  scarcely  show  themselves  in  their  true  character,  and  un- 
reserved in  their  national  manners,  in  the  presence  of  such  an 
army,  it  could  not  but  lower  us  in  the  eyes  of  our  companions 
to  have  too  many  dealings  with  these  pagans,  as  they  were  apt 
to  confound  us  with  them.  To  be  regarded  as  a  "kerdi"  my 
companion  cared  little  about ;  but  I  was  not  much  inclined  to 
be  identified  as  such,  and  it  could  certainly  reflect  no  honor  on 
the  character  of  our  mission. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  SHALLOW  EIYEES. — WATER-PAETING  BE- 
TWEEN THE  RIVERS  BENUWE  AND  SHaRI. 

Friday,  December  2Qth,  At  length  we  went  onward  to  pui- 
sne our  march,  turning  considerably  out  of  our  road  toward  the 
east,  in  order  to  avoid  the  residence  of  A^dishen,  and  to  prevent 
its  being  pillaged.  The  army,  proceeding  in  several  large  de- 
tachments, presented  an  interesting  aspect.  Here  also  green 
crops  of  the  winter  com,  or  "masakwa,"  were  still  standing  in 


362 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


tlie  fields.  Farther  on  we  came  to  open  pasture-grounds,  and 
after  a  march  of  about  ten  miles  we  reached  a  village  called 
Bogo,  where  we  encamped.  All  the  inhabitants  had  made  their 
escape,  although  their  chief,  whose  name  is  Bakshami,  was  an 
ally  and  friend  of  A''dishen.  The  cottages  were  well  built,  but 
there  was  a  great  scarcity  of  trees.  Among  the  furniture  was  a 
fishing-basket,  or,  as  the  Kanuri  call  it,  "kayan;"  and  some  of 
them  were  filled  with  dried  paste  of  the  red  species  of  holcus, 
which,  however,  the  people  were  afraid  to  touch,  lest  it  might  be 
poisoned.  On  a  former  expedition  several  people  had  been  poi- 
soned by  a  pot  of  honey  which  had  been  left  behind,  on  pur- 
pose, by  the  natives  in  their  flight.  Already  on  this  day's 
march  we  had  observed,  in  the  distance  toward  the  west,  an  iso- 
lated rocky  mount;  and  here  we  saw  it  in  more  distinct  out- 
lines, while  beyond,  at  a  greater  distance,  the  continuous  mount- 
ain chain  of  Mandara  became  slightly  visible. 

Saturday^  December  21th.  Our  march  at  first  led  through  a 
dense  forest,  after  which  we  emerged  upon  more  open,  swampy 
meadow-lands  covered  with  rank  grass,  and  full  of  holes  caused 
by  the  footprints  of  the  elephant.  Great  quantities  of  Guinea- 
fowl  were  caught.  Only  here  and  there  an  isolated  mimosa  in- 
terrupted the  unbroken  line  of  the  savanna. 

It  was  after  a  march  of  six  miles  that  we  obtained  a  sight  of 
the  first  deleb-palm  in  the  Musgu  country.  Already  repeat- 
edly in  the  narrative  of  my  travels  I  have  called  the  attention 
of  the  reader  to  this  beautiful  fan-palm  ;  but  in  all  the  localities 
where  I  had  before  observed  it,  it  was  rather  isolated.  Even 
in  A''damawa  it  is  limited  to  peculiarly  favored  localities,  while 
in  some  extensive  provinces  of  that  country,  such  as  Buban- 
jidda,  it  is  wanting  entirely.  But  here  we  had  reached  the 
country  where  this  beautiful  and  useful  tree,  probably  only  a 
variety  of  the  famous  JBorassus  flahelliformis^  is  the  most  com- 
mon and  predominant  representative  of  the  vegetable  kingdom. 
The  Musgu  call  it  in  their  language  "  uray."  From  the  Musgu 
country  it  seems  to  spread  in  an  almost  uninterrupted  and  un- 
broken line  through  the  southern  provinces  of  Bagirmi  and  Wa- 
day,  as  far  as  Kordofan,  sending  a  few  scouts  and  forerunners 


A  BEAUTIFUL  SCENE. 


363 


to  adorn  the  capital  of  Bagirmi  and  the  water-course  of  the 
Bat-ha. 

We  chose  our  encampment  in  a  village  called  Barea,  consist- 
ing of  scattered  huts,  and  surrounded  by  rich  stubble-fields, 
which  were  shaded  by  large,  wide-spreading  karage-trees,  pre- 
senting a  most  cheerful  and  comfortable  scene.  But  we  soon 
became  aware  that  the  fertility  and  beauty  of  this  district  were 
due  to  the  neighborhood  of  a  large  sheet  of  water  full  of  croco- 
diles and  river-horses  or  *'ngurutu,"  and  enlivened  even  by  a 
few  small  canoes.  It  had  been  indicated  already  on  our  marcl> 
by  the  flight  of  numerous  water-fowl  passing  over  our  heads. 
Beautiful  as  the  country  was,  however,  the  place  was  deserted, 
the  inhabitants  having  given  up  their  cheerful  homes,  and  left 
the  tombs  of  their  worshiped  ancestors  to  the  discretion  of  the 
hostile  army,  in  order  to  seek  safety  in  flight.  The  village  is 
the  residence  of  a  chieftain  of  the  name  of  Musikko,  who  ac- 
knowledges Kabishme,  the  chief  mentioned  above,  as  his  sov- 
ereign lord. 

In  the  afternoon  I  received  a  short  visit  from  a  rather  shab- 
by sort  of  man,  the  chief  of  a  place  called  Medebe,  but  who  was 
an  object  of  interest  to  me,  as  he  had  been  sent  as  a  messenger 
to  the  Prince  of  Mandara,  and  had  just  arrived  in  the  encamp- 
ment from  the  capital  of  that  little  country.  Traveling  at  a 
comfortable  rate,  he  had  arrived  in  three  days  from  Mora,  sleep- 
ing the  first  night  in  the  place  called  Mokoshi,  the  second  in 
Fette,  the  place  above  mentioned,  and  from  thence  to-day  had 
reached  this  place ;  but  the  whole  journey,  in  an  expeditious 
march,  may  easily  be  accomplished  in  two  days.  Difficult  as 
it  would  be  to  me  to  impart  to  the  reader  the  delight  which  I 
felt  in  tracing  my  routes  from  one  point  to  another,  and  joining 
two  places  with  which  I  had  become  acquainted  by  new  itine- 
raries, he  may  forgive  me  for  sometimes  troubling  him  with 
these  geographical  details. 

Sunday^  December  2St/i.  We  did  not  spend  our  Sunday  in 
a  quiet,  contemplative  manner ;  but,  nevertheless,  we  spent  it 
worthily,  employing  it  in  a  good  day's  march,  which  opened  out 
to  us  new  and  important  features  of  the  character  of  the  new  re- 


364 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


• 


gion  we  liad  just  entered.  It  was  a  pity  we  were  not  allowed 
by  circumstances  to  proceed  in  our  real  character  of  peaceful 
travelers,  anxious  to  befriend  all  the  people  with  whom  we 
came  in  contact,  instead  of  being  obliged  to  join  this  host  of 
merciless  and  sanguinary  slave-hunters,  who,  regardless  of  the 
beauty  of  the  country  and  the  cheerful  happiness  of  the  natives, 
were  only  intent  upon  enriching  themselves  with  the  spoil  of 
the  inhabitants. 

After  a  march  of  a  little  less  than  five  miles,  we  emerged  from 
the  thick  forest,  and  entered  upon  stubble-fields  with  numerous 
groups  of  huts  and  wide-spreading  trees,  whose  branches  were 
all  used  for  storing  up  the  ranks  of  nutritious  grass  of  these 
swampy  grounds  for  a  supply  in  the  dry  season.  The  coun- 
try was  pleasant  in  the  extreme.  Several  artificial  ponds  en- 
livened the  hamlet,  and  called  to  mind  similar  scenes  in  my  na- 
tive country,  except  that  ducks  and  geese  were  wanting.  The 
only  scenes  of  active  life  which  were  at  present  to  be  seen  were 
those  of  pillage  and  destruction. 

The  architecture  of  the  huts  and  the  whole  arrangement  of 
the  yards  was  very  similar  to  that  of  the  village  we  had  first 
seen  on  entering  the  country.  But  the  tops  of  the  granaries  in 
general  were  here  provided  with  a  sort  of  "fennel,"  covered  in 
by  a  roof  of  straw.  Broad,  well-trodden  paths,  lined  by  thick 
fences  of  a  peculiar  bush,  called  "magara"  in  Kanuri,  wdiich  I 
have  mentioned  in  another  locality,*  were  winding  along  through 
the  fields  in  every  direction.  But  there  was  one  object  which 
attracted  my  attention  in  particular,  as  it  testified  to  a  certain 
degree  of  civilization,  which  might  have  shamed  the  proud  Mo- 
hammedan inhabitants  of  these  countries  ;  for,  while  the  latter 
are  extremely  negligent  in  burying  their  dead,  leaving  them 
without  any  sufficient  protection  against  the  wild  beasts,  so  that 
most  of  them  are  devoured  in  a  few  days  by  the  hygenas,  here 

*  In  the  view  of  this  scenery  which  the  artist  has  made  from  my  sketch,  it 
has  been  thought  lit  not  to  represent  the  moment  of  destruction,  but  a  preceding 
one  of  the  quiet  life  of  the  natives,  the  approaching  misfortune  being  only  indi- 
cated by  the  column  of  smoke  in  the  background.  The  man  sitting  on  the  sep- 
ulchre is  meant  to  represent  the  first  glimmer  of  Islam  brought  to  these  people 
by  some  wandering  m'allem. 


WORSrUP  OF  ANCESTOllS.— DISORDER. 


367 


we  had  regular  sepulchres,  covered  in  with  large,  well-rounded 
vaults,  the  tops  of  which  were  adorned  by  a  couple  of  beams 
cross-laid,  or  by  an  earthen  urn.  The  same  sort  of  worship  as 
paid  by  these  pagans  to  their  ancestors  prevails  in  a  great  part 
of  Africa,  and,  however  greatly  the  peculiar  customs  attached  to 
the  mode  of  worship  may  vary,  the  principle  is  the  same ;  but 
I  nowhere  more  regretted  having  no  one  at  hand  to  explain  to 
me  the  customs  of  these  people  than  I  did  on  this  occasion. 
The  urn  most  probably  contains  the  head  of  the  deceased,  but 
what  is  indicated  by  the  cross-laid  beams  I  can  not  say. 

I  was  so  absorbed  in  contemplating  this  interesting  scene 
that  I  entirely  forgot  my  own  personal  safety  ;  for  the  vizier, 
without  my  becoming  aware  of  it,  had  pursued  the  track  on  his 
powerful  charger  at  an  uncommonly  quick  rate,  and  was  far  in 
advance.  Looking  around  me,  I  found  only  a  small  number  of 
Shuwa  horsemen  near  me,  and,  keeping  close  to  them,  pursued 
the  path  ;  but  when  we  emerged  from  the  thick  forest,  and  en- 
tered another  well-cultivated  and  thickly-peopled  district,  every 
trace  of  a  trodden  footpath  ceased,  and  I  became  aware  that  I 
was  entirely  cut  off  from  the  main  body  of  the  army.  A  scene 
of  wild  disorder  here  presented  itself.  Single  horsemen  were 
roving  about  to  and  fro  between  the  fences  of  the  villages  ;  here 
a  poor  native,  pursued  by  sanguinary  foes,  running  for  his  life 
in  wild  despair  ;  there  another  dragged  from  his  place  of  refuge ; 
while  a  third  was  observed  in  the  thick  covert  of  a  ficus,  and 
soon  became  a  mark  for  numerous  arrows  and  bails.  A  small 
troop  of  Shuwa  horsemen  were  collected  under  the  shade  of  a 
tree,  trying  to  keep  together  a  drove  of  cattle  which  they  had 
taken.  In  vain  did  I  address  Shuwa  and  Kanuri,  anxiously 
inquiring  what  direction  the  commander-in-chief  had  taken ; 
nobody  was  able  to  give  me  any  information  with  regard  to  his 
whereabouts.  I  therefore  scoured  the  village  in  all  directions, 
to  see  if  I  could  find  by  myself  the  track  of  the  army,  but  the 
traces  ran  in  every  direction. 

Here  I  fell  in  with  several  troops  of  horsemen,  in  the  same 
state  of  uncertainty  as  myself,  and  joined  one  of  them,  where 
there  were  some  heavy  cavalry ;  neither  the  attendants  of  the 


368 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


vizier  nor  the  man  who  carried  his  carpet  could  tell  which  di- 
rection he  had  taken.  While  anxiously  looking  about,  I  sud- 
denly heard  behind  us  the  beating  of  a  drum  or  *'ganga,"  and, 
following  the  sound,  found  a  considerable  number  of  horsemen 
of  every  description  collected  on  an  open  area ;  and  here  I  re- 
ceived the  exciting  news  that  the  pagans  had  broken  through 
the  line  of  march  at  the  weakest  point,  and  that,  while  the  vizier 
had  pursued  his  track,  the  rear  had  been  dispersed.  If  these 
poor  pagans,  who  certainly  are  not  wanting  in  courage,  were  led 
on  by  experienced  chieftains,  and  waited  for  the  proper  oppor- 
tunity, they  would  be  able  in  these  dense  forests,  where  caval- 
ry is  scarcely  of  any  use,  to  do  an  immense  deal  of  damage  to 
this  cowardly  host,  and  might  easily  disperse  them  altogether. 
But  the  principal  reason  of  the  weakness  of  these  Musgu  tribes 
is  that  they  have  only  spears  and  the  "goliyo,"  and  no  arrows, 
else  they  would  certainly  be  able  to  keep  these  troublesome 
neighbors  at  a  respectful  distance.  Of  what  little  use  even  the 
firelock  is  to  the  latter,  I  had  ample  opportunity  of  judging  sev- 
eral musketeers  having  come  to  me  anxiously  entreating  me  to 
provide  them  with  flints,  as  their  own  had  been  lost  or  had 
proved  useless. 

At  length  the  motley  host  moved  on  without  order  or  array ; 
but  their  irresolution  and  fear,  owing  to  a  few  pagans  who  were 
concealed  in  a  thicket,  were  so  great,  that  after  a  while  we  re- 
traced our  steps.  Having  then  taken  a  more  easterly  direction, 
we  reached,  through  a  thick  forest,  a  large,  swampy  piece  of  wa- 
ter in  low  meadow-grounds,  not  less  than  a  mile  in  breadth,  cov- 
ered with  rank  grass,  the  dry  ground  in  some  places  interven- 
ing. Here  I  found  a  considerable  part  of  the  cavalry  drawn 
up  in  a  long  line  and  watering  their  horses,  and  I  learned  that 
the  encampment  was  near.  It  would  have  been  very  unsatis- 
factory to  be  exposed  to  a  serious  attack  in  the  company  of  the 
disorderly  host  in  which  I  had  lately  found  myself. 

Having  watered  my  horse,  I  followed  the  deep  sound  of  the 
big  drum  of  the  vizier,  and  found  the  body  of  the  army  a  few 
hundred  yards  from  the  eastern  border  of  this  ngaljam,  in  rich 
stubble-fields  shaded  by  beautiful  trees  ;  but  as  yet  no  tent  was 


CAMELS.— KA'KALA'.— CRUELTY. 


369 


pitched,  and  a  great  deal  of  anxiety  prevailed,  the  first  camels 
having  arrived  without  their  loads,  which  they  had  thrown  off, 
their  drivers  havins;  taken  to  Hi2;ht ;  but  this  circumstance  in- 
sured  the  safety  of  the  greater  part  of  the  train,  as  the  com- 
mander immediately  dispatched  two  officers  with  their  squad- 
rons to  bring  up  the  rear.  To  this  circumstance  we  were  in- 
debted for  the  safety  of  our  own  camels,  which  had  been  in  im- 
minent danger,  the  pagans  having  collected  again  in  the  rear  of 
the  principal  body  of  the  army. 

The  Bornu  camels  are  half  mehara,  and,  while  they  surpass 
in  strength  the  camels  of  the  desert,  possess  a  great  deal  of  their 
swiftness.  Not  only  does  the  camel  which  carries  the  war-drum 
always  follow  close  behind  the  commander,  at  whatever  rate  he 
may  pursue  his  march,  but  even  his  other  camels  generally  keep 
at  a  very  short  distance,  and  the  best  camels  of  the  courtiers 
follow  close  behind. 

The  village  we  had  just  reached  was  named  Kakala,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  considerable  places  in  the  Musgu  country.  A 
large  number  of  slaves  had  been  caught  this  day,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  evening,  after  some  skirmishing,  in  which  three 
Bornu  horsemen  were  killed,  a  great  many  more  were  brought 
in ;  altogether  they  were  said  to  have  taken  one  thousand,  and 
there  were  certainly  not  less  than  five  hundred.  To  our  utmost 
horror,  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  seventy  full-grown  men 
were  mercilessly  slaughtered  in  cold  blood,  the  greater  part  of 
them  being  allowed  to  bleed  to  death,  a  leg  having  been  severed 
from  the  body.  Most  of  them  were  tall  men,  w^ith  not  very 
pleasing  features.  Their  forehead,  instead  of  shelving  back- 
ward, was  generally  very  high,  and.  the  line  of  the  face  straight : 
but  their  thick  eyelashes,  wide,  open  nostrils,  thick  lips,  high 
cheek-bones,  and  coarse,  bushy  hair,  gave  them  a  very  wild  ap- 
pearance. The  proportions  of  the  legs,  with  the  knee-bone  bent 
inward,  were  particularly  ugly,  and,  on  the  whole,  they  were 
more  bony  than  the  Marghi.  They  were  all  of  a  dirty  black 
color,  very  far  from  that  glossy  lustre  w^hich  is  observed  in  oth- 
er tribes.  Most  of  them  wore  a  short  beard.  The  ears  of  sev- 
eral were  adorned  with  small  copper  rings,  while  almost  all  of 

Vol.  IL— Aa 


370 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


them  wore  round  their  necks  a  thick  rope  made  of  the  dum-bush 
or  ngille,  coarsely  twisted,  as  a  sort  of  ornament. 

Monday,  December  2^th.  Soon  after  setting  out  from  the 
«  place  of  encampment  we  had  to  cross  the  ngaljam,  which  here, 
also,  was  thickly  overgrown  with  rank  grass,  and  the  passage 
of  which  was  very  difficult,  owing  to  the  countless  holes  caused 
by  the  footprints  of  the  elephant.  We  then  entered  a  dense 
forest,  where  I  saw  again,  for  the  first  time,  my  old  Hausa  ac- 
quaintance, the  kokia,  a  middle-sized  tree  with  large  leaves  and 
with  a  fruit  of  the  size  of  an  apple,  which  at  present  was  green, 
but  even  when  ripe  is  not  edible.  This  tree,  in  the  course  of 
the  expedition,  I  found  to  be  very  common  in  the  wilds  of  this 
country. 

The  unwarlike  spirit  of  our  large  army  became  more  apparent 
than  ever  by  to-day's  proceedings,  for  a  vigorous  commander 
would  certainly  have  accelerated  his  march  through  this  forest,  in 
order  to  take  the  enemy  unawares  ;  but  long  before  noon  a  halt 
was  ordered  in  the  midst  of  the  forest — certainly  against  the 
inclination  of  the  majority.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  inde- 
cision, and,  in  truth,  there  seemed  to  be  many  who  wished  rath- 
er that  the  enemy  should  have  time  to  escape  than  to  incite  him 
to  make  a  desperate  struggle  for  his  safety.  The  neighboring 
pond  (where,  on  our  arrival,  a  herdsman  who  had  come  to  water 
his  cattle  had  been  slain),  we  were  told,  did  not  contain  a  suffi- 
cient supply  of  water  for  the  wants  of  the  whole  army ;  and 
when  at  length  we  had  fairly  dismounted,  the  rank  grass  being- 
burned  down  in  order  to  clear  the  ground,  and  the  fire  being 
fed  by  a  strong  wind,  a  terrible  conflagration  ensued,  which 
threw  us  into  the  greatest  confusion,  and  obliged  us  to  seek  our 
safety  in  a  hasty  retreat.  Nevertheless,  after  a  great  deal  of 
hesitation,  it  was  at  length  determined  to  encamp  here.  There 
was  no  scarcity  of  water,  for  the  pond  proved  to  be  very  spa- 
cious and  of  great  depth ;  but  the  grass  having  been  burned, 
the  whole  ground  was  covered  with  a  layer  of  hot  ashes,  which 
blackened  every  thing. 

By-and-by  the  camels  arrived,  the  encampment  was  formed, 
and  every  one  had  given  himself  up  to  repose  of  mind  and  body, 


A  VISIT  FROM  A'DISHE'N  AND  SUITE. 


373 


when  suddenly  the  alarm-drums  were  beaten,  and  every  body 
hastened  to  arms  and  mounted  his  horse.  It  seemed  incredible 
that  an  enemy  whose  movements  were  uncombined,  and  not  di- 
rected by  any  good  leaders,  should  attack  such  an  army,  of  more 
than  10,000  cavalry  and  a  still  greater  number  of  foot,  although 
I  am  persuaded  that  a  resolute  attack  of  a  few  hundred  brave 
men  would  have  defeated  the  whole  of  this  vain  and  cowardly 
host.  The  alarm,  as  was  to  be  expected,  proved  unfounded : 
but  it  showed  the  small  degree  of  confidence  which  the  people 
had  in  their  own  strength.  Three  pagan  women  had  been  seen 
endeavoring  to  reach  the  water  by  stealth,  and  this  gave  rise  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  enemy  was  near,  for  the  dense  forest  all 
around  hemmed  in  the  view  entirely. 

When  at  length  the  encampment  had  resumed  its  former  state 
of  tranquillity,  the  Prince  A^dishen,  with  a  numerous  suite  of 
naked  follow^ers,  came  to  my  tent,  and  I  requested  him  to  en- 
ter ;  there  was,  however,  nothing  attractive  or  interesting  about 
him,  and  I  was  glad  to  get  rid  of  him  with  a  few  presents.  The 
difference  between  the  Marglii  and  Musgu,  notwithstanding  the 
affinity  indicated  by  their  language  and  some  of  their  manners, 
is  indeed  great,  and  is,  as  I  have  already  intimated  above,  rath- 
er to  the  disadvantage  of  the  latter,  whose  forms  exhibit  less  of 
symmetry,  and  whose  features  have  a  very  wild  and  savage  ap- 
pearance. Neither  in  these  Musgu  courtiers  nor  in  the  com- 
mon people  had  I  observed  any  of  those  becoming  ornaments, 
especially  those  iron  arm-rings,  which  I  have  mentioned  in  de- 
scribing the  Margin. 

A^dishen  had  shaved  his  head  in  order  to  give  to  himself  the 
appearance  of  a  Moslim,  and  wore  a  tobe ;  but  of  his  compan- 
ions, only  one  had  adopted  this  foreign  garment,  all  the  others 
having  their  loins  girt  with  a  leather  apron.  In  order  to  keep 
themselves  on  horseback,  they  have  recourse  to  a  most  barbar- 
ous expedient.  They  make  a  broad,  open  wound  on  the  back 
of  their  small  sturdy  ponies,  in  order  to  keep  their  seat ;  and 
when  they  want  to  ride  at  full  speed,  they  often  scratch  or  cut 
their  legs  in  order  to  glue  themselves  to  the  horse's  flanks  by 
means  of  the  blood  which  oozes  from  the  wounds  ;  for,  as  I  have 


374 


TRAVELS  IN  APKICA. 


stated  above,  they  have  neither  saddle,  stirrups,  nor  bridle,  and 
they  use  nothing  but  a  simple  rope  to  guide  their  animals. 
They  generally  carry  only  one  spear,  but  several  "  goliyos"  or 
hand-bills,  the  latter  being  evidently  their  best  weapon,  not  only 
in  close  fight,  but  even  at  a  distance,  as  they  are  very  expert  in 
throwing  this  sharp  and  double-pointed  iron  sideways,  and  fre- 
quently inflict  severe  wounds  on  the  legs  of  horses  as  well  as 
of  men.  Some  of  their  chiefs  protect  their  persons  with  a  strong 
doublet  made  of  buffalo's  hide,  with  the  hair  inside.* 

Tuesday^  December  30^A.  This  was  the  last  day's  march 
which  our  expedition  was  to  make  toward  the  south,  or  rather 
southeast.  For  the  first  ten  or  eleven  miles  we  kept  through 
dense  forest,  the  thick  covert  of  which  rendered  it  difficult  for  us 
to  make  our  way,  while  the  restless  and  vicious  Bornu  horses, 
crowded  together  and  hemmed  in  by  the  thicket,  repeatedly  came 
into  most  unpleasant  collision ;  and  here  again  I  was  much  in- 
debted to  my  massive  stirrups,  which  bravely  kept  their  ground 
against  bush  and  man.  The  whole  forest  consisted  of  middle- 
sized  trees,  the  kokia  being  predominant,  while  scarcely  a  single 
tree  of  larger  size  was  to  be  seen.  It  seemed  very  natural  that 
all  the  wild  animals  should  flee  before  such  a  host  of  people,  but 
I  was  astonished  at  the  scarcity  of  ant-hills,  notwithstanding 
the  great  degree  of  moisture  which  prevails  in  these  extensive 
levels,  and  which  is  so  favorable  to  the  existence  of  this  insect. 

Our  march  the  whole  morning  had  been  straight  for  Dawa, 
the  village  of  the  Tufuri  or  Tuburi,  a  section  of  the  great  tribe 
of  the  Fari  or  Fall,  of  which  I  have  spoken  in  a  former  part  of 
my  narrative. 

There  had  been  a  great  deal  of  discussion  in  the  last  day's 
council  as  to  the  expediency  of  attacking  this  place,  the  subjec- 
tion, or  rather  destruction  of  which  was  of  great  importance  not 
only  to  M'allem  Jymma,  but  even  to  the  Fulbe  settled  in  the 
eastern  districts  of  A^damawa  in  general.  This  party  at  last 
had  gained  the  upper  hand  over  the  greater  part  of  the  coward- 
ly Kanuri  courtiers ;  but  at  present,  when  we  approached  the 

*  A  chief  dressed  in  this  manner  is  represented  in  the  Frontispiece  to  this 
volume. 


THE  TU'BURI  NOT  ATTACKED. 


375 


seat  of  this  tribe,  who  are  well  known  to  be  warlike,  and  when 
the  question  arose  whether  we  should  engage  in  battle  with  these 
people  in  three  or  four  hours'  time,  it  became  rather  a  serious 
affair.  When,  therefore,  after  a  march  of  four  hours,  we  reach- 
ed a  beautiful  fresh  meadow-water  or  "ngaljam"  overgrown  with 
rank  grass,  surrounded  by  large,  spreading  ngabbore  trees,  which 
pleasantly  diversified  the  monotonous  forest,  we  made  a  halt, 
and  while  the  horsemen  watered  their  animals,  an  animated 
"  nogona,"  or  council,  was  held  in  the  shade  of  a  beautiful  fig- 
tree.  Here  it  was  decided  that,  at  least  to-day,  we  should  not 
march  against  Dawa  and  the  Tuburi,  but  were  to  change  our 
course  more  to  the  eastward,  in  the  direction  of  Demmo.  It  is 
probable  that  the  vizier  on  this  occasion  promised  to  his  friends 
that,  after  he  had  taken  up  his  head-quarters  at  Demmo,  and 
deposited  safely  in  the  fortified  encampment  the  spoil  that  he 
had  already  made  in  slaves  and  cattle,  he  would  march  against 
Dawa ;  but,  unfortunately,  or  rather  luckily  for  the  inhabitants, 
it  was  not  our  destiny  to  visit  that  interesting  and  important 
place,  as  I  shall  soon  have  occasion  to  mention. 

During  our  halt  here  I  contemplated  with  the  most  lively  and 
intense  interest  the  rich  and  animated  scene  which  presented  it- 
self before  my  eyes — a  mass  of  some  thousand  horsemen,  dress- 
ed in  the  most  varied  manner  and  in  the  most  glowing  colors, 
with  their  spirited  chargers  of  every  size,  description,  and  col- 
or, crowded  together  along  the  green  margin  of  a  narrow  sheet 
of  water,  skirted  by  a  dense  border  of  large  trees  of  the  finest 
foliage. 

After  a  halt  of  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  we  were  again  in 
the  saddle,  and  pursued  our  march,  but  now  in  an  entirely  dif- 
ferent direction,  keeping  almost  due  east,  and  crossing  the  shal- 
low water-course  which  stretched  from  north  to  south  a  little 
below  our  halting-place,  the  place  where  we  crossed  it  being 
quite  dry  and  full  of  holes  caused  by  the  footsteps  of  the  ele- 
phant. The  wilderness  for  a  while  was  clearer  ;  but  after  a 
march  of  about  two  miles  we  reached  a  very  thick  covert,  where 
it  was  found  necessary  to  send  out  scouts  in  order  to  see  if  the 
enemy  was  lying  in  ambush.    It  is  a  great  pity  that  these  poor 


376 


TRAVELS  IN  AFEICA. 


natives  do  not  know  how  to  avail  themselves,  against  their  cru- 
el and  cowardly  enemies,  of  the  fastnesses  with  which  nature 
has  endowed  these  regions.  Of  course,  these  immense  forests, 
which  separate  one  principality,  and  I  might  say  one  village 
from  another,  are  themselves  a  consequence  of  the  want  of  in- 
telligence and  of  the  barbarous  blindness  of  these  pagan  tribes, 
who,  destitute  of  any  common  bond  of  national  unity,  live  en- 
tirely separated  from,  and  even  carry  on  war  against  each  other. 

Scarcely  had  we  made  ourselves  a  path  through  the  thicket 
when  we  reached  another  meadow-water,  which  at  present,  how- 
ever, looked  rather  like  a  bog,  and  offered  some  difficulties  to 
the  passage  of  the  horses.  Having  then  for  some  time  kept 
upon  dry  ground,  about  noon  we  had  to  cross  another  swamp, 
but  beyond  this  the  country  became  open. 

Having  now  reached  the  place  of  our  destination,  the  banners 
were  unfolded,  the  drums  beaten,  and  the  greater  part  of  the 
cavalry  hurried  on  in  advance  ready  for  fighting,  or  rather  for 
pillage,  for  no  enemy  was  to  be  seen.  Immediately  afterward 
we  reached  the  village  of  D(^mmo,  and  marched  slowly  along, 
looking  out  for  the  best  place  for  encamping.  Numerous  deleb- 
palms  became  visible  behind  the  shady  acacias,  when  suddenly 
we  obtained  sight  of  a  broad,  shallow  water-course,  larger  than 
any  we  had  yet  seen  in  this  country — more  than  two  miles  in 
width,  with  a  considerable  sheet  of  open  water,  where  two  pagan 
canoes  were  seen  moving  about. 

Greatly  interested  in  the  scene,  we  closely  approached  the 
edge  of  the  water,  which  seemed  to  be  of  considerable  depth, 
although  a  number  of  hungry  Kanembu  had  passed  the  first 
open  sheet,  and  were  fishing  in  its  more  shallow  part,  which 
divided  the  open  water  into  two  branches.  From  beyond  the 
opposite  shore  a  whole  forest  of  deleb-palms  were  towering  over 
the  other  vegetation  of  lower  growth,  as  if  enticing  us  to  come 
and  enjoy  their  picturesque  shade.  The  direction  of  the  water- 
course at  this  spot  was  from  S.W.  to  N.E. ;  and,  according  to 
the  unanimous  statement  of  those  who  had  any  knowledge  of 
these  regions,  it  joins  the  Serbewuel — that  is  to  say,  the  upper 
course  of  the  river  or  "  ere"  of  Logon. 


NGA'LJAM  OF  DE'MMO. 


379 


Here  we  stood  a  Avliile,  and  looked  with  longing  eyes  toward 
the  opposite  shore  ;  it  was  a  most  interesting  and  peculiar  scen- 
ery, highly  characteristic  of  these  level  equatorial  regions  of 
Africa.  What  an  erroneous  idea  had  been  entertained  of  these 
regions  in  former  times !  Instead  of  the  massive  mountain 
range  of  the  Moon,  we  had  discovered  only  a  few  isolated 
mounts  ;  instead  of  a  dry,  desolate  plateau,  we  had  found  wide 
and  extremely  fertile  plains,  less  than  one  thousand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea,  and  intersected  by  innumerable  broad  wa- 
ter-courses with  scarcely  any  inclination.  Only  toward  the 
southwest,  at  the  distance  of  about  sixteen  miles,  the  low, 
rocky  mount  of  the  Tuburi  was  seen. 

But  not  less  interesting  than  the  scenery  of  the  landscape 
was  the  aspect  of  the  host  of  our  companions,  who  were  here 
crowded  together  at  the  border  of  the  water.  Only  very  few 
of  them  had  penetrated  as  far  before,  and  they  looked  with  cu- 
riosity and  astonishment  upon  this  landscape,  while  most  of 
them  were  rather  disappointed  that  the  water  prevented  them 
from  pursuing  the  poor  pagans,  the  full-grown  among  whom, 
with  few  exceptions,  had  just  had  time  to  escape.  But  a  con- 
siderable number  of  female  slaves  and  young  children  were  cap- 
tured ;  for  the  men  did  not  take  to  flight  till  they  became  aware, 
from  the  thick  clouds  of  dust  which  were  raised  by  the  army, 
that  it  was  not  one  of  the  small  expeditions  which  they  were 
accustomed  to  resist  that  was  coming  to  attack  them.  Besides 
the  spoil  in  human  beings,  a  considerable  number  of  colts  and 
cattle  were  brought  in. 

Having  indulged  in  the  aspect  of  this  rich  scene,  which 
formed  such  a  contrast  to  the  monotonous  neighborhood  of  Ku- 
kawa,  we  retraced  our  steps,  in  order  to  encamp  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  water,  which  of  course  gives  life  to  millions  of 
musquitoes,  and  encamped  among  the  smouldering  ruins  of  the 
huts.  The  whole  village,  which  only  a  few  moments  before  had 
been  the  abode  of  comfort  and  happiness,  was  destroyed  by  fire 
and  made  desolate.  Slaughtered  men,  with  their  limbs  severed 
from  their  bodies,  were  lying  about  in  all  directions,  and  made 
the  passer-by  shudder  with  horror.    Such  is  the  course  of 


380 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


human  affiiirs  in  these  regions.  Small  troops  of  light  cavalry 
tried  to  pursue  the  enemy,  and  there  was  some  fighting  in  the 
course  of  the  afternoon,  Avlien  a  few  men  of  the  Bornu  army 
were  killed. 

Wednesday,  December  ?>lst.  We  remained  here  this  and  the 
following  day,  it  being  the  intention  of  the  Bornu  people,  ac- 
cording to  their  own  statement,  to  reduce  this  country  to  sub- 
jection ;  and  I  deeply  regretted  that  the  circumstances  under 
which  we  visited  this  region  did  not  allow  me  to  collect  all  the 
information  I  wished  ;  but,  roving  about  the  encampment,  I  en- 
deavored to  pick  up  what  I  could. 

All  the  huts  had  clay  walls,  which  were  from  four  to  six 
inches  thick,  and  had  resisted  the  conflagration,  the  roofs,  con- 
sisting of  beams  and  reed,  having  fallen  in.  The  diameter  of 
the  huts  varied  from  eight  to  twelve  feet.  Each  hut  contained 
a  large  jar  for  holding  water,  and  some  had  a  peculiar  fireplace, 
inclosed  by  separate  walls,  and  not  unlike  an  oven ;  but,  al- 
though in  general  the  arrangement  of  the  huts  was  comfortable, 
I  found  the  dwellings  in  other  villages  of  this  country  far  supe- 
rior, nor  did  I  observe  here  such  large  court-yards  as  I  had  seen 
elsewhere.  In  the  centre  of  the  village  there  were  some  exten- 
sive tanks  or  pools  of  water,  which  seemed  to  be  made  by  the 
hand  of  m^an. 

The  whole  encampment,  or  "  ngaufate,"  was  surrounded  with 
a  strong  fence  of  thorny  bushes,  rather  for  the  purpose  of  pre- 
venting the  slaves  from  escaping  than  to  defend  the  encampment 
against  an  enemy.  Having  wandered  about  amid  this  scene 
of  destruction,  I  went  in  the  afternoon  to  the  border  of  the 
"ngaljam,"  which  was  enlivened  by  horses  and  cattle  grazing, 
and  people  quietly  reclining  here  and  there  or  bathing  in  the 
water.*  I  then  wandered  along  the  bank  to  some  distance, 
where  the  sheet  of  open  water  on  this  side  was  entirely  inter- 
rupted, wliile  on  the  other  shore  a  considerable  strip  of  water 
stretched  out  before  the  view. 

Here,  in  Demmo,  the  year  1852  opened  to  me,  in  the  course 

*  It  was  here  that  I  made  the  sketch  from  which  the  artist  has  taken  the  in- 
teresting view  of  this  locality. 


for:\i  of  oath. 


381 


of  which  I  at  that  time  entertained  a  hope  of  returning  home- 
ward, not  fancying  that  I  was  to  remain  three  years  more  in 
these  barbarous  countries,  amid  constantly  varying  impressions 
of  discovery,  of  disappointment,  of  friendly  and  hostile  treat- 
ment, and  under  all  sorts  of  affliction,  distress,  and  sickness. 

Our  stay  here  was  varied  by  a  few  interesting  incidents,  one 
of  which  I  will  relate.  The  intriguing  Shuwa  chief  M'allem 
Jymma,  whose  ambitious  designs  did  not  allow  him  any  rest, 
had  not  only  persuaded  the  head  man  of  Demmo,  who  had  made 
iiis  escape,  but  even  the  chief  of  the  nearest  village  on  the  other 
side  of  the  ngaljam,  to  make  his  subjection  publicly,  and  to  seek 
the  protection  of  Bornu.  They  were  therefore  introduced  this 
day  into  the  nogona  or  council,  and  threw  dust  upon  their  heads. 
But  when  they  had  to  confirm  their  subjection  by  an  oath,  the 
pagan  prince  of  Demmo  indeed  took  an  oath,  raising  a  handful 
of  earth  and  allowing  it  to  glide  through  his  fingers,  but  the 
chief  from  the  other  side  of  the  ngaljam  refused  to  take  tlie  oath, 
under  the  pretext  that  this  earth  was  not  fit  for  his  vow,  not 
being  his  own  soil ;  he  said  he  must  first  bring  a  handful  of 
earth  from  his  own  country.  An  oath  taken  upon  eartli  that 
belonged  to  their  native  soil  was  also  common  among  the  an- 
cients. 

Both  chiefs  had  made  their  appearance  in  their  native  attire, 
that  is  to  say,  quite  naked,  with  the  exception  of  a  narrow 
leather  strip  round  their  loins ;  and  it  caused  great  merriment 
to  the  courtiers,  that  when,  in  consequence  of  their  subjection, 
they  were  officially  dressed  in  black  tobes  as  a  sort  of  investi- 
ture, the  chief  of  Demmo  drew  his  shirt  over  his  head,  reckless 
whether  the  lower  parts  were  covered  or  not.  In  order  to  amuse 
the  assemblage,  they  also  blew  their  little  horn,  an  instrument 
which  every  Musgu  grandee  carries  with  him,  and  which  bears 
great  resemblance  to  a  bugle ;  but  in  this  accomplishment  a 
priest  wdio  accompanied  them  was  more  clever  than  themselves, 
producing  melodious  and  sonorous  sounds  from  this  simple  and 
uncouth  instrument. 

This  was  the  first  and  only  time  that  I  became  aware  that 
these  pagan  tribes  had  separate  priests  ;  and  I  felt  greatly  dis- 


382 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


appointed  that  I  did  not  come  into  closer  contact  with  them,  nor 
was  able  to  learn  from  other  people  what  were  their  peculiar 
duties.  But,  in  general,  I  think  I  am  not  mistaken  in  suppos- 
ing that  the  sacerdotal  functions  with  these  tribes  of  the  inte- 
rior are  less  developed  than  those  on  the  coast ;  for  as  yet  I  had 
seen  very  little  of  real  fetishism.  In  general,  the  office  of  priest 
seems  to  be  connected  with  that  of  chief. 

This  man  also  received  a  shirt  as  a  present ;  but  it  was  only 
a  white  one  of  inferior  quality,  and  I  do  not  think  he  kept  it 
very  long  after  he  had  left  the  assemblage  of  these  civilized 
people. 

As  the  price  of  the  benevolent  reception  which  the  prince  of 
Demmo  had  experienced,  he,  as  is  generally  the  case  in  these 
distracted  communities,  betrayed  the  interests  of  his  country- 
men, promising  that  he  would  lead  the  army  to  a  large  w^alled 
town  (so,  at  least,  he  was  understood  to  say),  where  they  were 
to  find  plenty  of  booty  and  spoil.  Accordingly,  an  expedition 
on  a  large  scale,  which  was  to  be  led  by  the  vizier  in  person, 
was  fixed  for  the  next  day. 

Friday^  January  2d.  Having  remained  quiet  for  some  hours 
in  the  morning,  probably  to  make  the  neighboring  chieftains  be- 
lieve that  we  had  no  intention  of  moving,  we  suddenly  set  out, 
with  almost  the  whole  of  the  cavalry  and  a  portion  of  the  Ka- 
iiembu  spearmen,  led  on  by  our  new  ally  the  chief  of  D^mmo. 
who,  mounted  on  a  little  pony,  clad  in  his  new  black  garment, 
presented  a  very  awkward  and  ridiculous  appearance. 

The  first  village  which  we  reached,  after  about  an  hour's 
march  through  a  clear  forest,  was  quite  deserted;  and  it  was 
but  natural  that  all  the  people  around  should  be  upon  their 
guard.  The  landscape  was  exceedingly  beautiful,  richly  irri- 
gated and  finely  wooded,  while,  to  our  great  astonishment,  the 
ground  was  so  carefully  cultivated  that  even  manure  had  been 
put  upon  the  fields  in  a  regular  manner,  being  spread  over  the 
ground  to  a  gi'cat  extent — the  first  example  of  such  careful  till- 
age that  I  had  as  yet  observed  in  Central  Africa,  both  among 
Mohammedans  and  pagans.  The  inhabitants  had  so  much  leis- 
ure to  make  their  escape  that  they  had  left  very  little  behind 


FINE  LANDSCAPE. 


383 


to  satisfy  the  greediness  of  the  enemy,  and  we  therefore  con- 
tinued our  march  without  delay  in  a  northeasterly  direction. 
This  whole  fertile  district  bears  the  name  of  Wuliya,  but  I  did 
not  learn  the  peculiar  name  of  this  village. 

After  a  march  of  about  four  miles  we  crossed  another  water- 
course, at  present  only  from  ten  to  fifteen  inches  deep,  and  sur- 
rounded by  beautiful  pasture-grounds,  which  during  part  of  the 
year  are  inundated,  and  must  then  present  the  appearance  of  an 
extensive  lake.  This  fresh  green  basin  was  adorned  all  around 
by  luxuriant  fig  and  "  karage"  trees,  and  slender  detached  dum- 
palms  towered  picturesquely  above  the  green  foliage,  but  no  de- 
leb-palms  were  to  be  seen.  Then  followed  another  village,  like- 
wise deserted  by  its  unfortunate  inhabitants,  and  then  again 
open  meadow-lands,  intersected  by  a  narrow,  channel-like  wa- 
ter-course, in  a  direction  from  S.W.  to  N.E. 

The  water-course  was  from  sixty  to  seventy  yards  broad,  and 
inclosed  so  regularly  between  its  banks,  which  were  about  ten 
feet  high,  that  it  had  quite  the  appearance  of  an  artificial  canal 
— a  peculiarity  which  in  the  course  of  time  I  frequently  ob- 
served, not  only  here,  but  also  in  the  similar  water-courses  along 
the  Niger.  At  the  point  where  we  crossed  it,  the  sheet  of  wa- 
ter was  entirely  broken  by  a  small  sand-bank,  so  that  we  went 
over  without  wetting  our  feet.  However,  I  conjectured  that 
this  was  an  artificial  dike  thrown  up  by  the  persecuted  nativesi 
in  order  to  keep  open  an  easy  connection  with  the  river,  on  which 
alone  their  safety  depended.  Without  any  delay  the  expeditioi  i 
pushed  on,  in  the  hope  of  overtaking  the  fugitives  before  they 
had  crossed  the  river ;  for  here  we  were  quite  close  to  the  west- 
ern shore  of  the  river  of  Logon,  which  is  generally,  but  errone- 
ously, called  Shari,  while  this  name,  which  belongs  to  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Kotoko,  and  means  "river"  in  general,  applies 
more  properly  to  the  larger  eastern  branch  below  Klesem,  which 
is  inhabited  by  Kotoko,  and  to  the  united  stream  lower  down 
below  the  junction  of  the  two  branches.  In  this  place  the  river, 
or  "  ere,"  is  called  Serbewuel,  I  think,  in  the  Musgu  language : 
higher  up,  where  we  shall  make  its  acquaintance  in  the  course 
of  our  further  researches,  it  is  called  Ba-Gun  and  Ba-Bay,  "  hn" 


384 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


being  the  general  name  for  river  in  the  language  of  Bagirmi  and 
the  native  tribes  of  the  Som-ray,  as  well  as  in  the  language  of 
the  Manding  or  Mandingoes. 

After  a  short  thne  we  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  stream.  It 
was  a  considerable  river  even  at  the  piTsent  moment,  although 
i  t  was  greatly  below  its  highest  level,  and  probably  represented 
the  mean  depth  of  the  whole  year.  At  present  it  was  about 
four  hundred  yards  wide,  and  so  deep  that  six  Shuwa  horsemen, 
who,  in  their  eager  desire  for  spoil,  had  ventured  to  enter  it, 
were  carried  away  by  the  stream,  and  fell  an  easy  prey  to  about 
a  dozen  courageous  pagans,  who,  in  a  couple  of  canoes,  were 
gliding  up  and  down  the  river  to  see  what  they  could  lay  their 
liands  upon.  They  felt  that  we  were  unable  to  follow  them 
without  canoes,  althougli  for  any  active  body  of  men  it  would 
have  been  an  easy  affair  to  construct  a  few  rafts  for  crossing 
over,  there  being  a  plentiful  supply  of  timber. 

The  banks  of  the  river  on  this  side  were  at  present  about 
Iwenty-five  feet  high.  The  opposite  shore  was  not  so  steep, 
;md  from  its  rich  vegetation  had  a  very  inviting  appearance ;  but 
1  was  glad,  for  the  sake  of  the  poor  natives,  that  we  were  un- 
able to  reach  it,  and  I  think  even  our  friend  the  Haj  Besliir  look- 
ed at  this  interesting  landscape  rather  with  a  degree  of  scientific 
interest  than  with  anger  and  disappointment.  Unfortunately, 
on  this  occasion  I  had  not  taken  my  telescope  with  me,  but  I 
was  so  fortunate  as  still  to  get  a  sight  of  this  river  a  little  low- 
er down. 

Having  stood  here  for  a  few  minutes  on  the  steep  bank,  look- 
ing down  into  the  stream,  which  rolled  unceasingly  along,  cut- 
ting off  our  further  progress,  we  turned  our  horses'  heads  in  the 
direction  from  which  we  had  come,  wliile  our  friends  endeavored 
to  soothe  their  disappointment  by  saying  that,  if  the  pagans  had 
escaped  from  their  hands,  they  would  certainly  not  fail  to  fall 
into  the  power  of  their  enemies,  viz.,  the  pagans  who  lived  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river,  under  the  protection  of  Bagirmi. 

We  thus  turned  our  backs  upon  the  river,  my  European  com- 
panion and  I  greatly  satisfied  witli  our  day's  work,  which  had 
afforded  us  a  sight  ot  this  fine  stream,  but  our  companions  in 


SINGULAR  WATER-COMBAT. 


385 


sullen  silence  and  disappointment,  on  account  of  the  expected 
spoil  having  escaped  from  their  hands.  Indeed,  where  they  had 
expected  to  find  that  "El  Dorado,"  that  walled  town  full  of 
male  and  female  slaves,  I  never  succeeded  in  ascertaining.  The 
whole  day's  spoil  was  limited  to  a  handful  of  slaves — unfortu- 
nate creatures,  whom  sickness  or  ill-advised  courage  prevented 
from  leaving  their  native  villages — besides  a  couple  of  cattle,  a 
few  goats,  fowls,  and  a  little  corn,  but  principally  ground-nuts, 
of  which  large  quantities  were  carried  off  by  the  hungry  Kanem- 
bu  spearmen. 

The  whole  army  was  in  such  a  mood  as  to  be  glad  to  find 
any  object  on  which  to  vent  its  anger  ;  and  such  a  one  soon  pre- 
sented itself ;  for,  when  we  again  reached  that  channel-like  wa- 
ter-course which  I  have  mentioned  above,  and  were  watering  our 
horses,  four  natives  were  seen,  who,  evidently  confiding  in  their 
courage  and  their  skill  in  swimming,  had  here  taken  refuge  in 
the  deepest  part  of  the  water,  in  order  to  give  information  to 
their  countrymen  of  the  retreat  of  the  enemy.  As  soon  as  our 
friends  caught  sight  of  this  little  troop  of  heroes,  they  determ- 
ined to  sacrifice  them  to  their  vengeance.  With  this  view, 
the  whole  of  the  cavalry  arranged  themselves  in  close  lines  on 
each  side  of  the  water.  But  the  task  was  not  so  easy  as  it  ap- 
peared at  first,  and  all  the  firing  of  the  bad  marksmen  was  in 
vain,  the  Musgu  diving  with  remarkable  agility.  When  the 
vizier  saw  that  in  this  way  these  heroes  could  not  be  overpow- 
ered, he  ordered  some  Kanembu  to  enter  the  water  ;  and  a  very 
singular  kind  of  combat  arose,  the  like  of  which  I  had  never 
seen  before,  and  which  required  an  immense  deal  of  energy ;  for, 
while  these  people  had  to  sustain  themselves  above  the  water 
with  the  help  of  their  feet,  they  had,  at  the  same  time,  to  jump 
up,  throw  the  spear,  and  parry  the  thrusts  of  their  adversaries. 
The  poor  Musgu  people,  on  their  side,  were  not  only  fighting 
for  their  lives,  but  even,  as  it  were,  for  their  national  honor. 
They  were  of  large  and  muscular  frame,  single-handed  far  su- 
perior to  the  Kanembu  ;  but  at  length,  after  a  protracted  strug- 
gle, the  superior  numbers  of  the  Kanembu  got  the  upper  hand, 
and  the  corpses  of  three  of  tlie  Musgu  were  seen  swimming  on 

Vol.  IL— B  b 


386 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


the  surface  of  tlie  water.  But  the  fourth  and  last  appeared  to 
be  invincible,  and  the  Kanembu,  who  had  lost  two  of  their  com- 
panions, gave  him  up  in  despair. 

After  this  inglorious  victory  we  pursued  our  march  home- 
ward, keeping  a  little  more  to  the  north  than  when  we  came. 
This  part  of  the  country  exhibited  the  same  fertile  and  pleasant 
character  as  that  we  had  seen  before.  It  was  densely  inhabited 
and  well  cultivated,  even  tobacco  being  grown  to  a  great  extent. 
As  for  the  villages  themselves,  they  afforded  the  same  appear- 
ance of  comfort  and  cheerfulness  which  we  had  observed  in  the 
others.  But  all  these  abodes  of  human  happiness  were  destroy- 
ed by  fire. 

After  having  accomplished  these  great  deeds,  we  returned  to 
our  encampment.  Here  we  remained  during  the  two  following 
days,  while  the  most  important  business  was  transacted.  This 
was  the  partition  of  the  slaves  who  had  been  taken  during  the 
expedition ;  and  the  proceeding  was  accompanied  by  the  most 
heart-rending  scenes,  caused  by  the  number  of  young  children, 
and  even  infants,  w^ho  were  to  be  distributed,  many  of  these  poor 
creatures  being  mercilessly  torn  away  from  their  mothers,  never 
to  see  them  again.    There  were  scarcely  any  full-grown  men. 

More  interesting  to  me  than  this  horrible  affair  was  the  send- 
ing of  a  messenger  to  Kukawa;  and  it  was  doubly  so  on  ac- 
count of  the  roundabout  w^ay  which  this  man  had  to  pursue,  the 
track  by  which  we  had  come  being  at  present  greatly  infested 
by  the  desperate  pagans,  who  very  recently  had  massacred  a 
whole  troop  of  horse  and  foot  who  had  come  from  Kukawa, 
with  the  exception  of  one,  who  had  succeeded  in  making  his 
escape.  The  messengers,  therefore,  who  were  now  sent,  were 
obliged  to  take  the  road  leading  past  the  villages  of  the  Fulbe,  go- 
ing from  Demmo  to  Kafta,  the  place  mentioned  above,  and  from 
thence  to  Bogo,  whence  they  were  to  follow  the  general  track, 
wdiich  I  have  described  on  a  former  occasion.  An  escort  of  fif- 
teen Kanuri  and  two  Fulbe  accompanied  the  two  messengers, 
as  their  first  day's  march  was  very  dangerous. 

For  the  last  few  days  there  had  been  a  great  talk  of  an  expe- 
dition, on  a  large  scale,  against  the  Tuburi,  whither  it  was  said 


THE  TU'BURI. 


387 


we  were  to  transfer  the  whole  encampment ;  and  I  and  my  com- 
panion already  anticipated  a  great  deal  of  delight,  as  the  isolated 
rocky  mount  which  we  had  seen  on  the  day  of  our  arrival  seem- 
ed to  be  well  worthy  of  notice.  But,  as  I  have  already  stated, 
the  Bornu  people  were  gTcatly  afraid  of  this  place,  the  real  rea- 
son probably  being  that  they  apprehended  the  pagans  might  re- 
tire upon  the  top  of  the  mountain,  and,  having  abundance  of 
water  in  the  neighborhood,  offer  a  successful  resistance,  al- 
though we  were  told  that  on  a  former  occasion  a  single  kashel- 
la,  'All  Fugomami,  had  extended  his  expedition  as  far  as  that 
place. 

The  Fiilbe,  by  whom  this  free  pagan  community  was  regard- 
ed with  great  hatred,  urged  the  expedition  with  the  greatest  en- 
ergy ;  but  the  cunning  vizier  pretended  afterward,  in  a  conver- 
sation which  he  had  with  Overweg  and  me,  that  it  was  purpose- 
ly, from  motives  of  policy,  that  he  did  not  accede  to  this  scheme, 
as  he  did  not  want  to  exterminate  this  tribe,  being  unwilling  to 
pull  down  with  his  own  hands  this  last  banier  to  the  restless 
spirit  of  conquest  which  the  Fulbe  or  Fellata  displayed.  The 
usurper  'Abd  e'  Kahman,  evidently  from  a  motive  of  ambition, 
in  order  to  be  enabled  to  say  that  he  had  penetrated  farther 
than  his  late  rival  the  vizier,  whom  he  had  successfully  crush- 
ed, in  the  beginning  of  the  rainy  season  of  1854  pushed  on  into 
the  very  country  of  the  Tuburi,  and  thus  enabled  Dr.  Yogel  to 
lay  down  that  most  interesting  point  by  astronomical  observa- 
tion, although  the  great  lake  which  my  friend  thought  to  find 
there  was  apparently  nothing  but  a  widening  of  that  stagnant 
water-course  which  forms  the  northeastern  branch  of  the  Benu- 
we,  namely,  the  mayo  Kebbi,  and  was  laid  down  by  me  in  the 
map  of  Central  Africa  which  I  sent  home  from  Kukawa. 

January  bth^  1852.  It  was  at  a  very  early  hour  on  Monday 
morning,  a  little  after  midnight,  wlien  the  guide  of  the  expedi- 
tion came  to  my  tent,  and,  while  I  was  just  dreaming  of  the 
rocky  mountain  of  the  Tuburi,  whispered  in  my  ear  that  a  dis- 
tant expedition  was  to  be  undertaken  that  very  day,  but  not 
into  the  country  of  the  Tuburi,  and  that  the  baggage  was  to  re- 
main here.    Although  I  should  rather  have  preferred  visiting 


388 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


the  Latter  tract,  situated  at  the  northeastern  branch  of  the  basin 
of  the  Niger,  I  nevertheless  was  determined  not  to  let  any  op- 
portunity pass  by  of  extending  my  geographical  knowledge  as 
much  as  possible,  and  therefore  ordered  my  horse  to  be  saddled. 
Mr.  Overweg,  meanwhile,  when  he  heard  that  the  vizier  was  not 
to  lead  the  expedition  in  person,  but  that  the  young  Bu-Bakr, 
son  of  the  sheikh,  was  to  take  the  command,  remained  behind ; 
and  as  I  had  no  mounted  servant,  and  could  not  expect  that  a 
man  on  foot  would  accompany  me  to  a  great  distance,  I  was 
obliged  to  go  quite  alone. 

Meanwhile  the  bugles  of  Bu-Bakr  called  the  warriors  togeth- 
er with  a  soft,  subdued  sound,  in  order  not  to  allow  treachery 
to  spread  the  news  of  their  plan  beforehand.  Having  passed 
with  some  difficulty  the  narrow  gate  of  the  stockade,  the  expe- 
ditionary army  formed  outside,  when  we  pushed  on  in  a  north- 
easterly direction.  But  nature  has  provided  so  well  for  the  de- 
fense of  these  poor  pagans  that  they  are  not  easily  taken  by 
surprise. 

We  succeeded,  with  the  dawn  of  day,  in  passing  the  first 
broad  sheet  of  water  of  the  wide  "  ngaljam"  of  Wuliya,  but 
found  great  difficulty  in  passing  another  water  with  a  deep,  ar- 
gillaceous soil  of  so  boggy  a  nature  that  several  of  the  horses 
fell,  even  those  whose  riders  had  dismounted ;  and  I  felt  not  a 
little  anxiety  on  account  of  my  own  restless  and  fiery  horse, 
which  was  snorting  like  a  hippopotamus.  At  length  we  left 
also  this  morass  behind  us,  and  indulged  in  the  hope  of  having 
overcome  every  difficulty,  when  suddenly  we  had  before  us  an- 
other and  far  deeper  water,  which  delayed  us  for  a  long  time. 
But  bad  as  was  our  situation  while  we  were  thus  sticking  fast 
in  the  mud,  I  could  scarcely  help  laughing  heartily,  as  this  very 
delay  enabled  the  poor  pagans  to  escape  with  their  wives  and 
property  to  a  place  of  safety.  As  for  most  of  the  horses,  the 
water  went  over  their  backs,  while  I,  on  my  stately  charger,  had 
the  water  three  inches  above  my  knee.  A  courageous  enemy, 
led  on  by  a  clever  commander,  might  at  this  moment  have  eas- 
ily captured  most  of  the  horses,  and  put  all  the  host  to  flight. 

At  length,  after  two  hours'  exertion,  we  emerged  from  this 


LINE  OF  BATTLE  FORMED. 


389 


broad  sheet  of  water,  which,  when  full,  must  present  the  appear- 
ance of  an  extensive  central  lake  three  or  four  miles  in  breadth, 
and  many  more  in  length,  and  now  entered  upon  green  pasture- 
ground,  which,  however,  during  the  highest  state  of  the  inunda- 
tion, is  itself  under  water.  Here  the  army  divided  into  three 
bodies,  and  pushed  on  vigorously,  although  a  great  many  had 
retraced  their  steps  upon  seeing  the  deep  water. 

Proceeding  in  this  way,  we  reached  the  first  hamlets,  and 
here  formed  a  regular  line  of  battle,  while  the  greater  part  of 
the  army  rushed  on  in  advance,  at  the  sound  of  the  drum  and 
the  horns  of  the  kashellas,  to  see  if  there  "was  any  thing  left  for 
them  ;  but  all  the  inhabitants  had  made  their  escape.  Another 
delay  occurred,  owing  to  one  of  the  followers  of  Bu-Bakr  falling 
into  a  ditch  or  hollow  twelve  feet  in  depth  and  the  same  in 
breadth,  from  which  he  was  extricated  with  some  difficulty, 
while  the  horse  died  on  the  spot.  But  there  was  plenty  of 
leisure,  the  pagans  having  long  ago  had  sufficient  time  to  make 
their  escape  beyond  the  river.  If  those  simple  people  had  fol- 
lowed the  same  stratagem  which  the  Bornu  people  employ 
against  the  Tawarek,  digging  a  quantity  of  holes  and  covering 
them  over  with  bushes,  they  might  have  done  a  great  deal  of 
mischief  to  the  cavalry. 

This  whole  tract  of  country  still  belongs  to  the  extensive  dis- 
trict of  Wuliya,  but  the  villages  have  separate  names,  which, 
owing  to  the  unfortunate  circumstances  under  w^hich  I  visited 
the  country,  I  was  not  able  to  learn.  Having  passed  a  consid- 
erable village,  we  reached,  a  little  before  eleven  o'clock,  the  far- 
thermost line  which  the  waters  of  the  Kiver  Serbewuel  attair; 
during  its  highest  state  of  inundation,  while  when  they  recede 
they  leave  extensive  ponds  of  stagnant  water  behind,  which 
nourish  a  rich  supply  of  the  most  succulent  herbage.  The 
shore  was  here  about  eight  feet  high,  while  at  the  other  point, 
where  we  had  visited  the  river  a  few  days  previously,  it  was 
not  so  well  marked.  Of  course,  where  the  inner  shore  consists 
of  steeper  banks,  so  that  the  river  does  not  rise  over  the  higher 
level  to  a  considerable  height,  the  outward  shore  can  not  be 
marked  so  distinctly. 


390 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


About  thirteen  hundred  yards  beyond  this  grassy  outward 
shore  we  reached  the  inner  bank  of  the  river,  which  consisted 
of  sand,  and  was  here  only  ten  feet  high.  The  river  at  present 
was  confined  to  this  bank,  running  at  this  spot  from  S.  25°  E. ; 
but  a  httle  lower  down  it  changed  its  direction,  running  W.  by 
N.  Higher  up,  the  opposite  shore  was  richly  overgrown  with 
trees,  among  which  deleb-  and  dum-palms  were  conspicuous ; 
but  no  villages  were  to  be  seen,  although  a  place  named  Kar  is 
said  to  lie  on  the  eastern  shore.  The  reason  we  had  directed 
our  march  to  this  point  seemed  to  be,  that  the  river  is  here  rath- 
er broad,  being  about  eight  hundred  yards  across,  and  forming 
a  large  sand-bank,  so  that  my  friends  had  entertained  the  hope 
that  they  would  be  enabled  to  ford  it,  which  in  some  years, 
when  the  rains  have  not  been  very  considerable,  may  be  possi- 
ble at  this  season,  and  even  this  year  might  probably  be  effect- 
ed in  two  months'  time.  But  at  present  this  was  not  the  case, 
and  the  rapacious  Shuwa  Arabs  were  hurrying  about  in  despair 
to  and  fro  between  the  island  and  the  western  shore. 

I  too  took  the  direction  of  the  island,  as  the  most  interesting 
point,  although  I  became  aware  that  it  was  not  possible  to  pen- 
etrate farther  on.  The  first  branch  of  the  river  on  this  side  of 
the  island,  which  was  the  broader  of  the  two,  was  not  more  than 
from  eighteen  to  nineteen  inches  deep,  and  could  not  but  become 
dry  in  a  short  time,  when  the  island,  or  rather  sand-bank,  should 
form  the  knee  of  the  bend  of  the  river  ;  but  the  eastern  branch, 
though  apparently  only  about  120  or  130  yards  broad,  seemed 
to  be  of  considerable  depth,  running  alpng  with  a  strong  cur- 
rent, and  my  old  friend  Abu  Daud,  one  of  the  principal  Shuwa 
chiefs,  whom  I  encountered  at  the  southern  point  of  the  sand- 
bank, with  a  sad  countenance,  indicated  the  whole  nature  of 
this  stream  with  the  laconic  and  significant  expression  "Ya- 
kul"  (it  eats) — that  is  to  say,  it  is  not  fordable. 

It  would  have  been  the  more  dangerous  to  attempt  to  force 
the  passage,  as  the  opposite  shore,  which  was  so  near,  and  only 
four  feet  high,  was  occupied  by  a  number  of  stalwart  pagans, 
who  mocked  at  our  inability  to  cross  the  river,  and  seemed  to 
be  quite  ready  to  receive  in  a  satisfactory  manner  any  body 


WATER-COMMUNICATION. 


391 


who  should  make  the  attempt.  It  would  have  been  easy  to 
have  blown  away  these  people,  and  thus  to  clear  the  place  of 
descent ;  but  for  such  an  undertaking  my  friends  had  not  suffi- 
cient courage  or  energy.  I  did  not  see  a  single  Kanuri  on  the 
island,  but  only  Shuwa,  who  always  expose  themselves  to  the 
greatest  risk,  and  push  farthest.  The  pagans  had  not  only  oc- 
cupied the  opposite  bank,  but  even  kept  afloat  four  canoes  at 
some  distance  above  the  island,  in  order  to  run  down,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  current,  any  one  who  should  dare  to  cross  the 
river.  Three  of  these  canoes  were  small,  but  the  fourth  was  of 
a  larger  size,  and  manned  by  ten  Musgu. 

These  canoes  were  the  only  craft  visible  on  the  river,  and 
probably  constituted  the  whole  naval  force  of  these  pagans. 
Of  course,  in  a  country  politically  rent  into  so  many  petty  prin- 
cipalities, where  every  little  community,  as  in  ancient  times  in 
Latium  and  Greece,  forms  a  separate  little  state  in  opposition  to 
its  neighbors,  no  considerable  intercourse  is  possible,  and  those 
natural  high  roads  with  which  nature  has  provided  these  coun- 
tries, and  the  immense  field,  therefore,  which  is  open  in  these 
regions  to  human  industry  and  activity,  must  remain  unpro- 
ductive under  such  circumstances  ;  but  it  will  be  turned  to  ac- 
count as  soon  as  the  restless  spirit  of  the  European  shall  bring 
these  countries  within  the  sphere  of  his  activity.  This  period 
must  come.  Indeed,  I  am  persuaded  that  in  less  than  fifty 
years  European  boats  will  keep  up  a  regular  annual  inter- 
course between  the  great  basin  of  the  Tsad  and  the  Bay  of  Bi- 
yafra. 

An  almost  uninterrupted  communication  has  been  opened  by 
Nature  herself ;  for,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kwara  to  the  con- 
fluence of  the  River  Benuwe  with  the  mayo  Kebbi,  there  is  a 
natural  passage  navigable  without  further  obstruction  for  boats 
of  about  four  feet  in  depth,  and  the  Mayo  Kebbi  itself,  in  its 
present  shallow  state,  seems  to  be  navigable  for  canoes  or  flat- 
bottomed  boats  like  those  of  the  natives,  which  I  have  no  doubt 
may,  during  the  highest  state  of  the  inundatian,  go  as  far  as 
Dawa  in  the  Tiiburi  country,  where  Dr.  Vogel  was  struck  by 
that  large  sheet  of  water  which,  to  him,  seemed  to  be  an  inde- 


392 


TRAVELS  IN  Ai^RICA. 


pendent  central  lake,  but  which  is  in  reality  nothing  but  a 
widening  of  the  upper  part  of  the  mayo  Kebbi. 

It  is  very  probable  that  from  this  place  there  may  be  some 
other  shallow  water-course,  proceeding  to  join  the  large  ngaljam 
of  Demmo,  so  that  there  would  exist  a  real  bifurcation  between 
the  basin  of  the  Niger  and  that  of  the  Tsad.  But  even  if  this 
should  not  be  the  case,  the  breadth  of  the  water-parting  between 
these  two  basins,  at  the  utmost,  can  riot  exceed  twenty  miles, 
consisting  of  an  entirely  level  flat,  and  probably  of  alluvial  soil, 
while  the  granitic  region  attached  to  that  isolated,  rocky  mount- 
ain which  I  have  mentioned  above  may,  most  probably,  be  turn- 
ed without  difficulty.  The  level  of  the  Tsad  and  that  of  the 
River  Benuwe  near  Gewe,  where  it  is  joined  by  the  mayo  Keb- 
bi, seem  to  be  almost  identical ;  at  least,  according  to  all  appear- 
ance, the  Benuwe  at  the  place  mentioned  is  not  more  than  850 
or  900  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  All  this  bounty  of  na- 
ture will,  I  trust,  one  day  be  turned  to  account,  though  many 
changes  must  take  place  in  this  country  before  a  regular  and 
peaceful  intercourse  can  be  established.  The  very  scenes  which 
I  witnessed  are  an  unmistakable  proof  of  the  misery  into  which 
these  regions  are  plunged. 

But,  as  I  have  carried  away  the  reader's  attention  from  the 
thread  of  the  narrative,  so  I  myself  had  almost  forgotten  where 
I  was,  and  it  required  an  admonition  from  my  friend  Abu  Daud 
to  induce  me  to  look  after  my  own  safety  ;  for  already  the  great- 
er part  of  the  Shuwa  had  returned  to  the  western  shore,  and 
threatened  to  leave  us  alone,  and  it  did  not  seem  very  agreeable 
to  be  taken  in  the  rear  by  the  pagans,  and  perhaps  even  to  be 
cut  off  by  the  boats.  I  therefore  returned  to  the  western  shore, 
where  the  army  was  scattered  about,  not  knowing  what  to  do, 
being  rather  disinclined  to  retrace  their  steps  without  having 
enriched  themselves  with  booty  of  some  kind. 

Following  the  course  of  the  river,  I  witnessed  an  interesting 
and  animated  scene — a  dozen  courageous  natives  occupying  a 
small  elevated  island,  with  steep  banks,  separated  from  the  shore 
by  a  narrow  but  deep  channel,  setting  at  defiance  a  countless 
host  of  enemies,  many  of  whom  were  armed  with  fire-arms. 


PLUCKY  PAGANS.— WE  RETURN. 


393 


But  African  muskets  are  not  exactly  like  Minie  rifles,  and  a 
musketeer  very  often  misses  his  aim  at  a  distance  of  thirty  or 
forty  yards.  It  was  astonishing  to  see  that  none  of  this  small 
band  of  heroes*  was  wounded,  notwithstanding  the  repeated  fir- 
ing of  a  number  of  Kanuri  people.  Either  the  balls  missed 
their  aim  entirely,  or  else,  striking  upon  the  shields  of  these  poor 
pagans,  which  consisted  of  nothing  but  wicker-work,  were  una- 
ble to  pierce  this  slight  defense ;  for  not  only  was  the  powder 
of  a  bad  quality,  making  a  great  deal  of  noise  without  possess- 
ing any  strength,  but  even  the  balls  were  of  extremely  light 
weight,  consisting  of  pewter,  as  is  generally  the  case  here. 

However,  it  was  not  prudent  for  me  to  witness  this  scene 
(which  was  so  little  flattering  to  my  friends)  for  too  long  a  time : 
for,  when  they  saw  that  I  had  my  gun  with  me,  they  called 
upon  me  urgently  to  fire  at  these  scofiers,  and  when  I  refused 
to  do  so,  reproached  me  in  terms  which  very  often  fell  to  my 
lot — "  'Abd  el  Kerim  faida  nse  bago" — meaning  that  I  was  a 
useless  sort  of  person. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  in  almost  the  whole  of  the  ]\Ius- 
gu  country,  except  near  a  few  isolated  granite  mountains,  there 
is  not  a  single  stone,  else  it  would  have  been  almost  more  prof- 
itable to  have  thrown  stones  at  these  people  than  to  fire  at  them 
with  the  pewter  balls.  With  regard  to  those  peculiar  shields 
of  wicker-work  with  which  these  courageous  Musgu  people 
managed  to  protect  themselves  so  adroitly,  I  had  afterward  an 
opportunity  of  examining  them,  and  found  them  to  be  about 
sixteen  inches  broad  at  the  top,  twenty-two  at  the  bottom,  and 
about  forty  in  length,  but  hollow.  The  material  consists  of  the 
same  kind  of  reed  with  which  their  huts  are  thatched. 

About  noon  the  army  began  its  march  homeward.  Certainly 
it  was  not  overburdened  with  spoil,  for  scarcely  fifteen  slaves 
had  been  taken,  mostly  decrepit  old  women,  who  either  could 
not  or  would  not  leave  their  comfortable  cottages.  The  anger 
and  disappointment  of  the  army  was  vented  upon  the  habita- 
tions of  these  people,  and  all  the  cheerful  dwellings  which  we 
passed  were  destroyed  by  fire.  This  certainly  was  a  heavy  loss 
to  the  inhabitants,  not  so  much  on  account  of  the  huts,  which 


394 


TKAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


thev  might  easily  rebuild,  as  on  account  of  the  granaries,  the 
grain  having  been  harvested  some  time  previously ;  and,  as  far 
as  I  became  aware,  there  being  no  subterranean  magazines  or 
catamores,  as  I  had  observed  with  the  Marghi,  and  the  fugitives, 
in  the  hurry  of  their  escape,  most  probably  having  only  been 
able  to  save  a  small  portion  of  their  store.  In  estimating,  there- 
fore, the  miseries  of  these  slave-hunts,  we  ought  not  only  to  take 
into  account  the  prisoners  led  into  slavery,  and  the  full-grown 
men  who  are  slaughtered,  but  also  the  famine  and  distress  con- 
sequent upon  these  expeditions,  although  nature  has  provided 
this  peculiar  tribe  with  innumerable  shallow  water- courses 
swarming  with  fish,  which  must  tend  greatly  to  alleviate  their 
sufferings  under  such  circumstances. 

The  forest  intervening  between  these  villages  consisted  al- 
most exclusively  of  "  kindin"  or  talha-trees,  which  were  just  in 
flower,  diffusing  a  very  pleasant  fragrance,  while  here  and  there 
they  were  overshadowed  by  isolated  dum-palms.  As  for  deleb- 
palms,  I  did  not  observe  a  single  specimen  in  the  whole  of  this 
district ;  but  beyond  the  river  to  the  southeast,  as  I  have  men- 
tioned above,  I  had  seen  several  in  the  distance. 

After  a  march  of  four  hours  we  again  reached  the  broad  ngal- 
jam  of  Demmo,  but  at  a  different  point  from  where  we  had 
crossed  it  in  the  morning  with  so  much  delay.  It  seemed  al- 
most providential  that  we  had  not  taken  this  route  in  the  morn- 
ing, as  the  poor  Musgu  people  would  have  had  less  time  to  make 
their  escape.  Leaving  the  main  body  of  the  cavalry  behind  me, 
I  pursued  my  march  toward  my  homely  tent  without  delay ; 
for,  having  been  on  horseback  for  more  than  twelve  hours  with- 
out any  thing  to  eat,  I  was  quite  ready  for  some  repose  and  re- 
freshment. But  it  took  me  full  an  hour  and  a  half  to  cross  this 
peculiar  basin,  which  at  present  was  dry  in  most  places,  and 
overgrown  with  tall,  rank  grass,  but  swampy  in  some  parts,  and 
intersected  by  holes  caused  by  the  footprints  of  the  elephant. 
A  mile  farther  along  the  northwestern  border  of  this  swamp 
brought  me  to  my  tent  and  to  the  several  dishes  which  awaited 
me ;  and  this  was  one  of  those  rare  occasions,  during  my  travels 
in  Negroland,  on  which  I  dined  with  a  truly  European  appetite. 


PENETRATING  SOUTHWARD. 


395 


The  vizier  was  very  gracious,  and  praised  my  courage  in  hav- 
ing accompanied  this  distant  expedition  quite  by  myself;  but 
the  Kanuri,  who  had  taken  part  in  it,  detracted  from  my  praise, 
using  the  very  terms  which  I  have  mentioned  above — "faida 
nse  bago."  Indeed,  this  became  one  of  my  nicknames  during 
my  stay  in  Bornu,  and  was  the  reason  why  I  was  less  popular 
with  most  of  the  people  than  my  companion.  It  is  very  natu- 
ral that  the  motto  "afi  faida  nse"  ("of  what  use  is  he?")  should 
he  the  guiding  principle,  not  only  of  Europeans,  but  barbarians 
and  semi-barbarians. 

The  following  day  we  remained  on  the  same  spot,  probably 
for  no  other  purpose  than  to  give  some  repose  to  the  people  who 
liad  accompanied  the  expedition  the  preceding  day ;  and  the 
vizier,  who  was  fully  aware  of  my  ardent  desire  to  push  farther 
southward,  at  least  as  far  as  the  equator,  took  occasion  to  make 
merry  at  my  expense,  and,  to  the  great  horror  of  the  effeminate 
courtiers,  suddenly  proclaimed  that  it  was  his  firm  intention  to 
lead  the  expedition  into  those  unknown  regions  in  the  interior. 
At  times,  indeed,  he  could  be  exceedingly  amiable  ;  and  he  w^as 
clever  enough  to  conceive  how  Europeans  could  be  induced  to 
undertake  such  hazardous  journeys,  although  he  was  scarcely 
able  to  appreciate  the  amount  of  courage  which  such  an  under- 
taking is  able  to  inspire.  He  had  often  spoken  with  me  con- 
cerning my  project  of  pushing  on  toward  the  east  coast,  and  he 
thought  that  a  troop  of  ten  Europeans  would  be  able  to  accom- 
plish it,  although  he  anticipated  great  obstructions  from  the 
quantity  of  water-courses  in  those  equatorial  regions,  and  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  this  would  be  one  of  the  greatest  obstacles 
to  such  an  undertaking. 

In  order  to  console  me,  and  soothe  my  disappointment  on 
finding  that  this  was  to  be  the  farthest  point  of  the  expedition, 
and  that  we  should  retrace  our  steps  from  hence  without  even 
visiting  the  country  of  the  Tuburi,  he  ordered  M'allem  Jymma 
to  be  called,  in  order  to  inform  me  how  far  the  enterprising 
Pullo  conqueror  Buba  had  penetrated  beyond  Biibanjidda ;  but 
he  found  that  I  was  already  fully  acquainted  witli  this  fact  from 
other  sources.    The  very  interesting  route  of  the  M'allem  Jym- 


I 


896  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

ma  from  Demmo,  by  the  village  of  the  Tuburi  to  Laka  and 
Lame,  I  have  already  communicated  on  a  former  occasion.*  It 
is  to  be  hoped  that  these  regions  will  soon  become  better  known, 
when  English  steamers  shall  go  annually  up  the  River  Benu- 
we,  and  enable  travelers  to  start  afresh  from  thence  for  those  in- 
land regions. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

RETURN    TO  BORNU. 

Janiiarij  Ith^  1852.  This  was  the  day  when  we  were  to  bid 
farewell  to  all  projects  of  penetrating  farther  toward  the  south 
or  southeast.  It  was  rather  remarkable  that,  early  in  the 
morning,  at  the  very  moment  when  the  drum  was  beating,  the 
moon  was  eclipsed ;  but  our  commander-in-chief  was  too  much 
enlightened  to  be  frightened  at  such  a  phenomenon,  like  the 
Athenian  general  before  Syracuse.  He  requested  Mr.  Overweg 
to  explain  it  to  him,  but  otherwise  he  was  not  much  concerned 
about  it. 

We  this  time  kept  a  little  more  toward  the  east  than  on  our 
outward  march,  approaching  closer  to  the  River  of  Logon. 
Only  a  short  tract  of  clear  forest  separated  the  cultivated  grounds 
of  Demmo  from  another  village,  where,  besides  Negro  corn,  we 
found  tobacco  and  cotton  in  friendly  community  on  the  same 
piece  of  ground.  We  had  already  seen  much  cultivation  of  to- 
bacco in  this  country,  and  were  impressed  with  the  opinion, 
however  strange  it  may  seem,  that  it  was  an  indigenous  plant, 
and  not  introduced  at  a  recent  period ;  we  had,  moreover,  been 
informed  that  not  only  the  men,  but  even  the  women  in  this 
country,  are  passionately  fond  of  smoking.    But  as  for  cotton, 

*  I  will  here  observe  with  what  exactitude  I  hare  laid  down,  on  my  map 
which  was  published  by  Mr.  Petermann,  the  district  of  the  Tuburi,  which  exact- 
ly corresponds  with  the  latitude  ascertained  by  Dr.  Vogel.  As  to  the  longitude 
assigned  by  me  to  this  place,  it  is  dependent  on  the  meridian  of  Kukawa. 


OPEN  COUNTRY.— ANOTHER  ALARM. 


397 


we  had  not  yet  seen  any  in  the  whole  tract  of  the  Musgu  coun- 
try which  we  had  traveled  over,  and  its  appearance  here  seem- 
ed to  be  a  step  in  advance  toward  civilization,  caused,  probably, 
by  the  influence  of  the  neighboring  town  of  Logon. 

After  a  short  interruption  there  followed  another  village, 
which  was  succeeded  by  forest,  and  then  another  swamp,  at 
present  dry,  and  overgrown  with  tall,  rank  grass,  but  difficult 
to  pass  on  account  of  innumerable  holes.  Shortly  afterward 
the  country  on  our  right  assumed  an  open  and  very  pleasant 
appearance,  a  river  with  a  clear  sheet  of  water,  but  apparently 
without  a  current,  winding  through  i't  in  tortuous  meanderings, 
and  closely  approaching  the  higher  ground  along  which  the  nu- 
merous host  was  pursuing  its  march.  The  slope  was  adorned 
with  wild  fig-trees  and  acacias,  which  were  overshadowed  by 
two  fine  deleb-palms.  This  open  country  was  succeeded  by 
the  well-cultivated  and  shaded  fields,  which  lay  stretched  out 
between  the  scattered  court-yards  of  another  village  ;  and  here 
we  encamped,  my  companion  and  I  pitching  our  tents  near  a 
beautifiil  sort  of  fig-tree,  of  the  species  called  "  baure"  by  the 
Hausa,  and  "  kago"  by  the  Kanuri,  or  at  least  the  Manga. 

The  whole  village  was  deserted  ;  only  a  few  neglected  mem- 
bers of  the  poultry  tribe  were  running  about,  endeavoring  to 
escape  from  the  hands  of  their  greedy  pursuers. 

It  was  a  very  hot  day,  the  hottest  we  had  on  this  expedition, 
the  thermometer  at  half  past  one  in  the  afternoon  mdicating 
100°  in  the  cool  shade  of  our  fine  fig-tree. 

The  encampment  was  cheerful  and  pleasant ;  but  in  the  even- 
ing a  frightful  alarm  arose,  the  rumor  being  spread  that  the 
pagans  were  attacking  the  "  ngaufate,"  the  great  drum  of  the 
commander-in-chief  keeping  up  a  tremendous  din,  and  all  the 
people  hurrying  along  in  every  direction.  The  alarm  was  so 
great  that  my  companion  gave  up  his  tent,  and  retreated  with 
liis  people  to  that  of  the  vizier,  and  I  found  myself  obliged  to 
allow  my  two  servants  to  follow  him  also.  As  for  myself,  I  re- 
mained where  I  was,  for  I  felt  little  inclination  to  have  my  tent 
once  more  plundered,  as  had  been  the  case  on  our  expedition  to 
Kanem.    It  soon  proved  to  be  nothing  but  a  false  alarm. 


398 


TKAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


In  these  predatory  incursions,  the  rapacious  Shuwa  suffer  th(? 
greatest  loss,  as  it  is  they  who  always  push  on  furthest  and 
run  the  greatest  risk ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  they  also  succeed 
in  carrying  off  secretly  a  good  deal  of  spoil  to  their  native  vil- 
lages without  its  becoming  subject  to  the  general  partition. 
None  of  them  have  firelocks,  being  only  armed  with  missiles, 
usually  consisting  of  one  large  spear  or  kasakka,  and  four  small 
javelins  or  ballem  ;  very  few  of  them  have  shields. 

Thursday^  January  Stiu  The  country  through  which  we 
passed  was  extremely  fertile  and  beautiful,  the  scenery  during 
the  first  part  of  our  march  preserving  in  general  the  same  fea- 
tures which  it  exhibited  on  the  preceding  day.  We  ourselves 
kept  along  the  high  ground,  at  the  foot  of  which  a  clear,  open 
sheet  of  water  was  meandering  along,  while  beyond,  toward  the 
east,  an  unbounded  grassy  plain  stretched  out,  with  a  scanty 
growth  of  trees  in  the  background,  and  only  broken  toward  the 
southeast  by  a  low  chain  of  hills,  as  represented  in  the  plate 
opposite.  At  the  distance  of  a  mile  we  reached  some  hamlets 
where  dum-  and  deleb-palms  were  grouped  together  in  a  remark- 
able manner,  starting  forth  from,  and  illuminated  by  the  sea  of 
flames  which  was  devouring  the  village,  the  whole  forming  a 
very  picturesque  spectacle. 

Further  on  we  made  a  halt  on  the  slope  of  the  rising  ground, 
the  various  troops,  distinguished  by  the  diversity  of  colors  of 
their  dresses,  grouping  themselves  around  some  buildings  which 
were  almost  consumed  by  the  flames,  while  I  found  leisure  to 
sketch  the  fertile  country  before  us.  The  people  themselves 
were  struck  with  its  beauty ;  and  when  we  continued  our  march, 
I  took  an  opportunity  to  enter  into  a  conversation  with  our 
friend  the  vizier  with  regard  to  the  policy  which  they  pursued 
with  these  people,  and  the  way  in  which  they  desolated  these 
regions ;  and  I  asked  him  whether  they  would  not  act  more 
prudently  in  allowing  the  natives  to  cultivate  their  fertile  coun- 
try in  tranquillity,  only  levying  a  considerable  tribute  upon 
them.  But  the  vizier  answered  me  that  it  was  only  by  the  most 
violent  means  that  they  were  able  to  crush  these  pagans,  who 
cherished  their  independence  and  liberty  above  every  thing,  and 


POLICY  IN  NEGROLAND. 


401 


that  this  was  the  reason  why  he  burned  all  the  granaries,  in  or- 
der to  subdue  them  by  famine  ;  and  he  added  that  even  of  fam- 
ine they  were  less  sensible  than  he  could  wish,  as  the  water  in 
this  region  aftbrded  them  an  unlimited  supply  of  fish. 

Slaves  are  the  only  articles  which  the  conquerors  want  from 
the  subjected  tribes ;  by  carrying  into  slavery  great  numbers 
of  them  they  force  them  into  subjection,  and  even  the  tribute 
which  they  levy,  after  having  subdued  them,  consists  of  slaves. 
All  this  will  be  changed  as  soon  as  a  regular  and  legitimate  in- 
tercourse has  been  opened  along  the  Kiver  Benuwe  into  the 
heart  of  these  regions,  when  the  natural  produce  of  the  soil  will 
be  in  constant  request — such  as  cotton,  indigo,  vegetable  but- 
ter, ground-nuts,  ivory,  rhinoceros'  horns,  wax,  hides,  and  many 
other  articles.  The  vizier  himself,  although  a  strict  ]\Ioslim, 
was  too  enlightened  to  lay  much  stress  upon  the  spreading  of 
Islam ;  but  nevertheless  the  idea  that  these  unfortunate  crea- 
tures fully  deserve  such  treatment,  in  their  character  as  pagans 
(kofar  or  "kerdi"),  blunted  his  feelings  to  their  sufferings. 

Further  on  we  crossed  the  water  where  it  was  shallower,  and, 
a  little  beyond,  another  meadow-water  of  greater  breadth  but 
not  so  deep,  and  then  entered  a  fine  undulating  country,  while 
an  arm  of  the  water  remained  on  our  left.  The  whole  country 
was  extremely  well  cultivated  and  densely  inhabited,  village 
succeeding  village,  while  large  trees,  mostly  of  the  ngabbore  and 
karage  kind,  enveloped  the  whole  in  the  finest  vegetation.  Some 
of  the  huts  were  distinguished  by  a  natural  ornamental  net- 
work or  covering,  formed  by  that  kind  of  Cucurhitacea  which  I 
have  mentioned  before  as  named  sagade"  by  the  natives,  and 
which  is  probably  identical  with  the  species  called  Melojjepo, 
The  aspect  of  the  country  was  the  more  pleasing,  and  left  the 
impression  of  a  certain  degree  of  industry,  owing  to  the  tobacco- 
plants  just  standing  in  flower. 

Amid  such  scenery,  we  took  up  our  encampment  at  an  early 
hour  in  the  morning,  a  beautifully-winding  water-course,  which 
was  bordered  by  a  fine  grassy  slope  about  twenty  feet  high, 
closely  approaching  on  our  right.  The  water-course  was  about 
sixty  yards  broad,  but  of  considerable  depth,  at  least  in  this 

Vol.  II.— C  c 


402 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


place,  and  full  of  clear  fresh  water,  which  was  gently  gliding 
along,  and  disappeared  further  down  in  the  plain.  Here  I  lay 
down  for  an  hour  in  the  cool  shade  of  a  large  karage-tree,  and 
allowed  myself  to  be  carried  away  by  the  recollections  caused 
by  the  ever-varying  impressions  of  such  a  wandering  life,  which 
repays  the  traveler  fully  for  all  the  hardships  and  privations 
which  he  has  to  endure,  and  endows  him  with  renewed  energy 
to  encounter  fresh  dangers. 

I  have  before  observed  what  trouble  the  hard  alluvial  soil 
caused  us  in  pitching  our  tents ;  but  here  the  argillaceous  soil 
was  succeeded  by  loose  sand,  which  forms  the  border  of  the  riv- 
er. The  light  troops,  soon  after  our  arrival  to-day,  had  dis- 
persed in  all  directions,  and  brought  a  considerable  quantity  of 
cattle  from  the  neighboring  villages  ;  the  cattle,  however,  here- 
abouts are  only  of  middle  size,  and  the  cows  yield  little  milk, 
and  that  of  very  poor  quality. 

It  seems  remarkable  that  the  Musgu,  as  well  as  the  Marghi, 
and  several  divisions  of  the  kindred  Kotoko,  call  the  cattle  by 
a  name  which  closely  approaches  that  given  to  it  by  the  Hausa 
people,  while  the  Batta  call  it  by  a  name  which  is  certainly 
derived  from  the  Fulfulde,  or  the  language  of  the  Fulbe.  Such 
linguistic  relations  are  not  without  interest,  as  they  afford  some 
little  insight  into  the  history  of  the  civilization  of  these  regions. 

A  little  variety  was  given  to  the  monotonous  proceedings  of 
our  rather  inglorious  expedition  by  the  fact  of  one  of  the  Shu- 
wa,  who  was  supposed  to  have  been  killed  a  few  days  previous- 
ly, being  found  under  a  tree  in  the  forest  severely  wounded,  but 
still  alive,  after  having  undergone  great  hardships  and  priva- 
tions. 

January  dth.  The  whole  district  in  which  we  had  been  rov- 
ing about  since  the  30th  of  December  belongs  to  Wuliya,  which 
is  decidedly  one  of  the  most  fertile  and  best-irrigated  regions  in 
the  world. 

A  desolate  border  district,  consisting  at  times  of  green  swampy 
ground  uprooted  by  the  footprints  of  the  elephant,  and  on  this 
account  affording  a  very  difficult  passage  for  cavalry,  at  others 
of  dense  forest,  the  one  following  the  other  in  rapid  succession. 


ANOTPIER  DISTRICT  PLUNDERED. 


405 


separated  Wuliya  from  another  principality  of  the  name  of  Ba- 
rea,  and  inhabited  by  a  tribe  of  tlie  Musgu  of  the  name  of 
A''bare.  It  was  characteristic  of  the  little  peaceful  intercourse 
which  exists  among  these  various  petty  tribes  that  the  A^bare 
did  not  seem  to  have  had  the  slightest  information  of  the  ap- 
proach of  the  expedition  till  we  suddenly  came  upon  them 
through  the  dense  forest,  so  that  they  had  scarcely  time  to  es- 
cape with  their  families  from  the  village,  and  endeavor  to  hide 
themselves  in  the  dense  covert  of  the  forest  toward  the  east. 
They  were  pursued  and  overpowered,  after  a  short  resistance, 
by  the  continually  increasing  numbers  of  the  enemy,  and  the 
booty  of  that  day,  chiefly  in  cattle,  was  rather  considerable. 
Slaves  were  also  brought  in  in  considerable  numbers,  princi- 
pally young  boys  and  girls.  The  distance  of  the  field  of  battle 
spared  us  the  sight  of  the  slaughter  of  the  full-grown  men. 

We  chose  our  camping-ground  on  the  stubble-fields  between 
the  straggling  groups  of  the  village,  which  were  beautifully 
J     adorned  by  some  fine  specimens  of  the  deleb-palm,  and 
u\J  I  took  the  opportunity  of  making  a  sketch  of  this  scene 
^r-^  of  natural  fertihty  and  wanton  destruction  of  human  hap- 
piness.   The  huts  in  general  were  of  the  same  construc- 
tion and  arrangement  as  those  described  above ;  but  in 
one  of  them  I  found  a  kind  of  three-pointed  harpoon  or 
spear,  very  similar  to  a  hay-fork,  with  this  difference, 
that  the  middle  point  was  rather  longer.    The  handle  also 
was  rather  long,  measuring  about  eight  feet.    It  proba- 
bly was  used  for  catching  fish  rather  than  as  a  weapon, 
otherwise  it  would  scarcely  have  been  left  behind ;  but  it 
*     may  easily  have  served  both  purposes. 
Thus  by  very  short  marches  we  again  approached  Bornu, 
keeping  mostly  at  a  short  distance  eastward  from  our  former 
route,  and  encamped  the  following  day  in  the  midst  of  another 
straggling  village,  the  fields  of  which  were  especially  shaded  by 
fine  bito-trees  {Balanites  ^gyjptiaca)^  the  soil  being  as  hard  as 
iron.    I  had  scarcely  pitched  my  tent  when  Hamed,  the  son  of 
Ibrahim  Waday,  one  of  the  courtiers  with  whom  I  was  on 
friendly  terms,  sent  to  me,  begging  I  would  pay  liim  a  visit ; 


406 


TRAVELS  IN  APRICA. 


and  on  complying  with  his  wish,  he  introduced  into  my  pres- 
ence a,  female  slave  who  had  been  taken  the  day  before,  telling 
me  that  I  might  make  a  drawing  of  her,  for  he  knew  that  I  was 
making  strict  inquiries  after  the  origin  and  customs  of  these 
tribes,  and  that  I  was  making  occasional  sketches.  This  fe- 
male slave  was  certainly  worthy  of  a  sketch,  as  she  was  one  of 
the  most  stately  women  I  saw  here.  But  I  entertained  some 
suspicion  that  she  was  not  of  Musgu  origin,  but  belonged  to 
the  Margin ;  for  in  the  whole  of  the  llusgu  country  I  had  not 
observed  a  single  individual  of  red  color,  but  all  were  of  the 
same  dirty  black,  approaching  to  what  the  French  call  cafe  an 
lait,  while  this  woman  was  of  a  red  complexion.  She  certain- 
ly wore  in  her  under  lip  the  large  bone,  the  national  emblem  of 
the  Musgu  females,  but  this  custom  she  might  have  adopted. 
As  for  herself,  she  would  neither  give  me  any  information  with 
respect  to  her  origin,  nor  sit  still  in  order  to  allow  me  to  finish 
my  sketch.  She  was  tall  and  well-grown,  with  the  exception 
of  the  legs,  which  were  rather  crooked  ;  and  being  still  a  young 
woman,  her  breasts  had  not  yet  attained  that  bag-like  shape 
which  is  so  disgusting  in  the  elder  females  of  this  country. 
Her  features  were  only  a  little  disfigured  by  the  bone  in  the 
under  lip.  Her  neck  was  richly  ornamented  with  strings  of 
beads,  but  these  were  as  little  peculiar  to  her  as  the  cotton 
cloth  round  her  loins,  having  been  given  her  by  the  new  master 
into  whose  hands  she  had  fallen.  The  national  dress  of  the 
Musgu  females  consists  of  nothing  but  a  narrow  bandage,  form- 
ed of  bast,  twisted  like  a  rope,  which  is  fastened  between  the 
legs  and  round  the  waist  like  a  T  bandage. 

A  circumstance  happened  here  which  caused  a  great  sensa- 
tion, particularly  among  the  courtiers.  The  last  messengers 
who  had  been  sent  from  Kukawa  with  dispatches  for  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, as  I  have  observed,  had  been  destroyed  by  the 
pagans ;  and  it  was  on  this  day  and  in  this  place  that,  while  all 
the  cottages  were  being  pillaged  and  ransacked,  three  of  the  let- 
ters of  which  those  messengers  had  been  the  bearers  were  found 
in  the  pocket  of  a  shirt  which  had  been  hid  in  a  clay  jar.  This 
was  evidently  the  shirt  of  the  messenger  himself,  and  the  blood 


NARROW  ESCAPE.— BEES. 


407 


with  which  it  had  been  stained  had  been  washed  out  without 
taking  the  letters  out  of  the  pocket.  Devoid  as  the  expedition 
was  of  feats  of  valor  and  interest,  the  greatest  importance  was 
attached  to  this  little  incident. 

Sunday^  January  Wth.  When  we  left  this  place  our  friends 
just  barely  escaped  punishment  for  their  barbarous  proceeding 
of  burning  the  villages  in  which  we  had  encamped  as  soon  as 
we  left  them,  for  the  conflagration  spread  before  we  had  gained 
the  open  country,  and  a  most  horrible  crushing  took  place  among 
the  burning  huts.  Had  there  been  any  wind,  great  part  of  the 
army  might  have  been  severely  scorched. 

The  country  which  we  passed  to-day  was  intersected  by  nu- 
merous water-courses,  and  we  had  to  cross  and  recross  them 
several  times.  Here  we  passed  a  place  where  the  poor  natives, 
in  the  consciousness  of  their  weakness,  seemed  to  have  been 
aroused  to  new  and  unwonted  energy  for  building  a  large  forti- 
fication, but  had  been  obliged  to  leave  it  half  finished.  Our 
march  was  extremely  short,  and  scarcely  extended  to  three 
miles,  when  v/e  encamped  in  a  village  which  seemed  to  have 
been  ransacked  at  a  former  period.  It  lay  straggling  over  a 
wide  extent  of  ground,  in  separate  groups  of  cottages,  which 
were  surrounded  by  stubble-fields  shaded  by  karage-trees  of  a 
richness  and  exuberance  whicli  I  had  not  seen  before,  and  sur- 
passing even  those  fine  trees  of  the  same  species  which  I  have 
described  near  the  village  Kade. 

Of  course,  every  one  was  desirous  of  having  his  tent  pitched 
in  the  shade  of  one  of  these  beautiful  trees,  when  suddenly  the 
intruders  were  attacked  by  swarms  of  large  bees,  which,  settling 
behind  their  ears,  tormented  them  to  their  utmost,  as  if  they 
wanted  to  take  revenge  for  the  mischief  that  had  been  done  to 
their  masters,  and  to  defend  their  favorite  resting-places  against 
these  cruel  intruders.  It  is  well  known  that  swarms  of  bees  had 
almost  caused  the  destruction  of  Mungo  Park's,  as  well  as  Major 
Gray's  expedition ;  but  here  a  whole  army  was  running  away 
from  these  little  creatures.  Even  those  who  had  encamped  at 
a  greater  distance  were  only  able  to  protect  themselves  by  the 
large  volumes  of  smoke  which  issued  from  the  fires  they  had 


408 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


lighted.  Before  this  we  had  not  observed  the  rearing  of  bees 
hi  this  country  ;  but  here  the  larger  trees  were  full  of  bee-hives, 
made  of  large-sized  bloeks.  Even  flocks  of  turtle-doves  were 
not  wanting  in  this  fertile  region,  so  rich  in  water  and  vegeta- 
tion. 

In  this  pleasant  spot  we  remained  encamped  the  following 
day,  while  part  of  the  army  was  sent  out  in  a  southerly  direc- 
tion toward  our  former  encampment,  Kakala,  which  was  only  at 
a  few  miles'  distance,  in  order  to  try  their  fortune  thereabouts ; 
but  the  pagans  being  upon  their  guard,  they  returned  empty- 
handed  in  the  evening.  Our  food  to-day  was  varied,  to  our 
great  satisfaction,  by  an  excellent  fish  of  considerable  size,  which 
we  obtained  from  the  neighboring  pond. 

Fish  seems  to  be  plentiful  in  tliis  quarter,  but  whether  the 
number  of  small  ridges  and  channels  which  we  observed  on  our 
march  the  following  day  were  intended  for  catching  fish,  which 
might  enter  them  at  the  highest  level  of  the  inundation,  or  for 
preparing  the  fields  for  cultivation,  I  am  not  quite  sure ;  but  the 
former  seemed  to  be  the  case,  there  being  no  signs  whatever  of 
the  fields  being  brought  under  labor.  Dense  forest  and  open 
pasture-ground  alternated,  the  forest,  consisting  of  middle-sized 
acacias,  interrupted  now  and  then  by  the  kalgo-tree,  with  its  ash- 
colored  leaves  and  its  dark  red  pods,  or  by  the  kokia. 

The  country,  however,  became  exceedingly  interesting  and 
pleasant  when  we  reached  one  of  the  numerous  water-courses 
of  these  African  Netherlands,  an  open  and  clear  river  about  sev- 
enty yards  broad,  which  being  fringed  on  each  bank  with  a  bor- 
der of  slender  deleb-palms  or  kameltitu,  in  the  clear,  magnificent 
morning  sky  afforded  a  most  picturesque  view.  We  here  cross- 
ed this  water,  and  passed  a  village  on  our  left,  and,  keeping 
along  the  fresh  turf  of  the  western  bank  a  mile  further  on, 
reached  a  spot  where  another  branch,  running  eastward  appar- 
ently, though  no  current  is  visible,  and  fringed  likewise  by 
palms  of  the  same  description,  joins  the  main  channel.  The 
country  being  without  any  perceptible  inclination,  it  is  ex- 
tremely difficult,  nay,  almost  impossible,  to  decide  about  the  di- 
rection of  these  water-courses,  except  during  the  period  of  their 


A  SLAVE-HUNT. 


409 


highest  inundation.  But  the  fertile  and  picturesque  landscape 
beyond  this  narrow  sheet  of  water,  which  stretched  along  in  a 
regular  line  like  an  artificial  canal,  did  not  seem  at  all  to  be  de- 
serted, natives  being  seen  in  every  direction.  The  commander 
of  the  expedition,  therefore,  ordered  a  short  halt,  the  army  pre- 
senting their  front  to  the  enemy,  and  preventing  the  stragglers 
from  crossing  the  river,  which,  owing  to  their  greediness  for  spoil, 
they  seemed  to  have  not  a  little  inclination  to  do. 

But  the  great  men  of  Bornu  at  the  present  day  do  not  like  any 
unusual  exertion,  and  it  was  decided  to  await  the  arrival  of  the 
camels,  to  encamp  at  ease,  and  to  take  luncheon.  We  then 
turned  off  a  little  to  the  westward,  entered  a  village,  and  en- 
camped in  the  stubble-fields. 

Suddenly,  just  about  noon,  without  my  having  any  previous 
knowledge  of  it,  the  vizier  and  his  officers  mounted  on  horse- 
back, in  order  to  attack  the  pagans  on  the  other  side  of  the  wa- 
ter ;  but  these  poor  people,  to  whom  had  been  given  full  oppor- 
tunity 01  estimating  the  strength  of  the  army,  had  thought  it 
prudent  to  make  use  of  the  leisure  thus  afforded  them,  not  by 
the  mercy,  but  by  the  cowardly  disposition  of  their  enemies,  to 
convey  their  families  and  property  into  a  place  of  safety ;  for 
the  River  of  Logon  passed  at  a  distance  of  only  four  miles  from 
this  place,  and  in  its  present  state  was  capable  of  affording  per- 
fect security  to  the  persecuted  natives,  their  pursuers  having  no 
boats.  But,  although  the  army  did  not  go  to  a  great  distance, 
and  returned  after  an  absence  of  three  hours,  I  was  rather  sor- 
ry for  having  neglected  this  opportunity  of  obtaining  a  sight  of 
the  River  of  Logon  again  at  another  place,  and  likewise  of  vis- 
iting once  more  that  picturesque  district,  so  rich  in  deleb-palms, 
which  was  evidently  one  of  the  finest  in  the  whole  country.  Mr. 
Overweg,  who  had  received  previous  information  of  the  intention 
of  the  vizier,  was  this  time  more  fortunate  than  myself,  and  aft- 
erward informed  me  that  they  had  been  obliged  to  keep  first 
along  the  smaller  river,  in  order  to  reach  the  ford  where  we  had 
crossed  in  the  morning.  The  great  river,  which  they  reached 
about  three  miles  beyond,  exhibited  a  single  bed,  and  was  not 
fordable. 


410 


TRAVELS  IN  ^VTRICA. 


While  remaming  behind  in  the  empty  encampment,  I  lament- 
ed the  misery  of  accompanying  such  an  expedition  ;  for  nothing 
can  be  more  disheartening  to  the  feelings  of  a  traveler  who  is 
desirous  of  knowledge  than  to  visit  these  beautiful  countries 
under  such  circumstances,  when  the  original  inhabitants  are  ei- 
ther exterminated,  or  obliged  to  seek  their  safety  in  flight ;  when 
all  traces  of  their  cheerful  life  are  destroyed,  and  the  abodes  of 
human  happiness  converted  into  desolation  ;  when  no  one  is  left 
to  acquaint  him  with  all  the  significant  names  which  the  various 
characteristic  features  of  the  country  must  necessarily  bear, 
especially  those  numberless  creeks,  swamps,  and  rivers  which 
intersect  this  country  in  all  directions.  The  stranger  who  in- 
trudes upon  the  natives  in  this  hostile  manner  is  scarcely  able 
to  make  out  a  few  dry  names  of  the  principal  dwelling-places, 
and,  being  placed  under  such  disadvantageous  circumstances,  is 
at  least  justified  in  speaking  more  emphatically  of  the  endless 
misery  into  which  the  finest  and  most  populous  regions  of  this 
continent  are  plunged  by  these  slave-hunting  expeditions  of 
their  merciless  Mohammedan  neighbors.  This  fertile  district, 
which  is  inclosed  by  the  Eiver  of  Logon  on  the  east,  and  by  the 
narrow,  channel-like  water-course  on  the  west  side,  seems  to  be 
that  very  dominion  of  "Fuss,"  the  power  of  which,  as  I  have 
related  before,  was  greatly  dreaded  by  our  friends. 

This  was  the  coolest  day  we  had  as  yet  experienced  on  our 
expedition,  the  thermometer,  in  the  cool  shade  of  a  tree,  at  half 
past  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  indicating  only  84°.  This  was 
probably  attributable  to  the  fresh  northerly  breeze  which  sprung 
up  about  noon ;  for  during  the  night  it  was  not  so  cold  as  we 
felt  it  afterward,  the  thermometer  during  this  time  indicating,  at 
sunrise,  between  56°  and  59°,  and  at  sunset  between  74°  and 
77°. 

Wednesday^  January  \A.th,  We  made  a  longer  march  than 
usual,  while  the  character  of  the  country  changed  entirely,  and 
not,  as  it  seemed,  to  its  advantage  ;  for,  instead  of  a  fertile  land- 
scape, clothed  with  rich  verdure,  we  entered  upon  bleak  alluvial 
plains,  scantily  overgrown  with  stunted  mimosas,  and,  to  all  ap- 
pearance, almost  unfit  for  producing  grain.    It  was  one  of  those 


BARREN  COUNTRY. 


411 


remarkable  days  in  January  which,  in  the  whole  of  Central  Af- 
rica, form  a  distinct  season  by  themselves.  A  thick. fog  envel- 
oped the  whole  country,  and  excluded  any  distant  view,  and, 
while  subsequently  it  helped  to  increase  the  dismal  character  of 
the  country,  in  the  beginning  of  our  march  it  prevented  us  from 
enjoying  once  more  the  rich  scenery  of  the  preceding  day ;  for 
we  had  first  to  return  to  the  bank  of  that  beautiful  clear  sheet 
of  water  along  which  our  march  had  led  the  day  before.  Its 
banks  here  also  were  quite  flat,  but  the  sheet  of  water  was  wider 
than  at  the  place  where  we  had  seen  it  before.  Proceeding  a 
little  in  advance  of  the  army,  I  obtained  a  sight  of  a  river-horse 
just  at  the  moment  when  it  raised  its  immense  head  above  the 
surface  of  the  watery  element. 

But  as  soon  as  we  left  this  fine,  clear  sheet  of  water,  the 
character  of  the  country  changed  entirely,  assuming  an  exceed- 
ingly sombre  aspect,  and  we  passed  a  hamlet  more  cheerless 
and  miserable  than  any  I  had  seen  in  the  whole  of  this  country. 
Not  a  single  trace  of  cultivation  was  seen  on  the  bleak,  black 
argillaceous  soil,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  inhabitants  of 
this  hamlet  subsisted  solely  on  the  fish  which  they  were  able  to 
catch ;  and  these  may  be  abundant,  as  the  whole  configuration 
of  the  ground  shows  that  this  entire  tract  is  reached  by  the  in- 
undation during  the  rainy  season. 

The  country  preserved  the  same  aspect  as  we  proceeded  on- 
ward, and  the  hamlets  which  we  passed  were  not  of  a  more  in- 
viting appearance  than  the  first.  Only  now  and  then  an  isolated 
deleb-palm,  or  kamelutu,  raised  its  magnificent  tuft  into  the  air, 
and  served,  by  the  contrast  it  afibrded,  to  make  this  spot  appear 
more  gloomy.  A  large  piece  of  ground  was  entirely  covered 
with  aghul  [Hedysarus  alhajji)^  which  seemed  to  me  not  a  lit- 
tle remarkable,  as  I  did  not  remember  to  have  seen  this  plant, 
which  is  so  much  liked  by  the  camel,  since  I  had  left  Taganama. 

The  country  assumed  more  and  more  the  appearance  of  a 
swamp  at  present  dry  ;  and  we  were  even  obliged  to  change  our 
direction  frequently,  in  order  to  avoid  spots  where  the  bog  had 
not  dried  up,  while  every  where  we  observed  the  same  kind  of 
small  ridges  which  I  have  mentioned  before.    Farther  on,  the 


412 


TKAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


ground  became  a  little  drier,  but  presented  oniy  a  monotonous 
waste,  with  detached  bunches  of  rank  grass,  overshadowed  now 
and  then  by  scanty  and  stunted  karage-trees  scarcely  fifteen  feet 
high,  while  we  had  been  accustomed  in  the  Miisgu  country  to 
see  this  kind  of  tree  assume  the  size  of  the  most  magnificent 
specimens  of  the  vegetable  kingdom,  with  an  elevation  of  from 
seventy  to  eighty  feet,  and  a  crown  of  not  less  diameter.  As 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  the  character  of  the  country  present- 
ed the  same  poor  appearance ;  but,  as  I  have  mentioned  before, 
the  sky  was  not  very  clear,  and  the  view  was  therefore  rather 
limited.  The  bush  of  the  fan-palm  seemed  to  be  quite  solitary, 
without  there  being  a  full-grown  specimen  to  be  seen. 

At  length  this  swampy  ground  seemed  to  have  an  end ;  but 
nothing  but  poor  stubble-fields,  where  the  crop  liad  failed,  took 
its  place,  with  here  and  there  a  few  detached  poor-looking  huts, 
the  few  trees  which  were  visible  exhibiting  the  same  scanty 
growth  that  we  had  observed  in  the  district  through  which  we 
had  just  passed.  At  last  the  eye,  fatigued  by  the  length  of  this 
gloomy  tract,  was  refreshed  by  the  sight  of  a  field  with  a  fresh 
crop  of  masakuwa  or  Holcus  cerrmus^  though  it  was  far  from 
being  a  rich  one.  Already  here,  besides  the  huts  common  in 
this  country,  others,  of  a  remarkable  and  peculiar  style,  became 
visible,  such  as  I  shall  describe  further  on,  and  as  only  the 
most  excellent  clay  soil  can  enable  the  natives  to  build. 

Entering  for  a  while  a  grassy  plain,  we  reached  an  open  wa- 
ter, such  as  the  Kanuri  people  call  komadugu,  about  thirty 
yards  broad,  but  apparently  of  considerable  depth,  being  inclosed 
by  banks  ten  feet  high,  and  winding  through  the  plain  in  a  fine 
meandering  course.  The  water  at  present  had  no  current, 
and  we  found  a  spot  where  it  was  totally  broken,  and  were  en- 
abled to  cross  it  with  dry  feet. 

A  few  hundred  yards  on  the  other  side  of  this  water-course 
were  the  ruins  of  Baga,  the  residence  of  the  chief  Kabishme 
(or,  as  the  Kanuri  call  him,  Kabshime),  which  had  been  ran- 
sacked last  year  by  Kashella  'All  Fugomami.  Among  these 
ruins  the  vizier,  by  the  advice  of  A^dishen,  who  wanted  to  keep 
the  undisciplined  host  from  his  own  fertile  territory,  had  chosen 


NATIVE  ARCHITECTURE. 


413 


the  encampment.  Thither  I  directed  my  steps,  while  the  main 
body  of  the  cavalry  were  scattered  about  the  corn-fields,  in  or- 
der to  gather  the  half-ripe  ears  of  grain  for  themselves  and  their 
half-starved  horses ;  and  he  was  lucky  who  arrived  first,  those 
who  came  afterward  either  finding  nothing  at  all,  or  only  green, 
unwholesome  corn. 

The  whole  district  where  the  encampment  was  chosen  was 
bare  and  desolate  in  the  extreme,  especially  on  the  eastern  side, 
where  it  was  only  bordered  by  stunted  mimosas  a  considerable 
distance  off.  But  the  village  itself,  and  particularly  the  dwell- 
ing of  the  chief  Kabishme,  was  calculated  to  create  a  great  deal 
of  interest,  as  well  on  account  of  the  finished  and  careful  execu- 
tion of  the  buildings  as  owing  to  a  certain  degree  of  comfort 
and  homeliness  in  the  whole  arrangement ;  and  in  this  respect 
it  was  very  fortunate  that,  immediately  after  our  arrival,  before 
the  train  came  up,  I  directed  my  attention  toward  these  build- 
ings, for  afterward  the  deserted  palace  of  the  Musgu  chief  be- 
came a  harim,  or  prohibited  spot,  the  vizier  finding  its  archi- 
tectural arrangements  very  useful  and  convenient  for  domestic 
purposes. 

The  palace  must  have  afforded  a  very  different  spectacle  in 
former  times,  when  it  was  inhabited,  it  being  at  present  in  such 
a  state  of  ruin  that  several  features  in  its  arrangement  could  not 
be  distinctly  made  out,  almost  every  thing  that  was  liable  to 
take  fire  having  been  destroyed,  and  especially  the  sheds  and 
inner  court-yards,  which  are  so  characteristic  of  the  domestic 
life  of  these  people.  At  present  it  was  an  empty  court-yard  of 
a  tolerably  round  shape,  and  of  large  circumference,  surround- 
ed by  huts  more  or  less  destroyed,  and  adorned  at  the  four  cor- 
ners, if  v/e  may  speak  of  corners  in  a  building  of  almost  round 
shape,  by  buildings  of  a  very  peculiar  and  remarkable  charac- 
ter, which  at  once  attracted  my  attention,  as  they  bore  testi- 
mony to  a  degree  of  order,  and  even  of  art,  which  I  had  not 
expected  to  find  among  these  tribes. 

They  were  small  round  rumbu,  about  eight  feet  in  diameter, 
and  at  least  twelve  feet  high  to  the  apex  of  the  cupola,  the  clay 
walls  of  which  were  very  neatly  polished ;  the  entrance  formed 


414 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


a  projecting  portal  about  six  feet  liigli,  four  feet  deep,  and  not 
more  than  fourteen  inches  wide.  The  exterior, 
to  the  very  top  of  the  cupola,  was  ornamented 
in  a  very  peculiar  manner  by  regular  lines  of 
projecting  ribs  running  round  the  building  in 
the  way  represented  in  the  wood-cut.  These 
very  remarkable  rooms,  although  at  present 
^  empty,  from  their  analogy  with  several  build- 
ings described  above,  and  according  to  the 
statements  of  the  people,  were  nothing  but  well-protected  gran- 
aries, although  they  might  have  served  occasionally  in  the  cold 
season  as  bed-rooms  or  sleeping-rooms.  They  were  exactly  the 
same  at  each  of  the  four  corners ;  but  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  yard  claimed  particular  attention,  owing  to  another  very  re- 
markable apartment  being  there  joined  to  the  granary,  which,  as 
it  is  best  adapted  to  give  a  clear  idea  of  the  homely  comfort  of 
these  people,  however  low  the  scale  of  their  civilization  may  be, 
has  been  made  use  of  to  represent,  in  the  plate  opposite,  a  scene 
of  the  domestic  life  of  these  people,  besides  that  its  ground-plan 
is  given  in  the  accompanying  wood-cut. 


It  was  a  round,  uncovered  apartment  of  about  twenty-four 
feet  in  diameter,  inclosed  by  a  clay  wall  of  about  seven  feet  high 
and  a  foot  in  thickness,  and  carefully  polished  at  the  corners. 
The  doorway  was  about  four  feet  high  by  about  two  feet  wide ; 
entering  through  this,  you  had  on  your  left  a  bank  of  clay  run- 
ning parallel  with  the  wall,  and  inclosing  a  space  of  about  two 
and  a  half  feet  in  breadth.  It  was  a  foot  and  a  quarter  high, 
and  one  foot  broad,  and  ran  round  more  than  half  the  circum- 
ference of  the  room,  but,  in  order  to  afford  easy  access  to  the 


NATIVE  ARCHITECTURE. 


417 


narrow  space  between  it  and  the  wall,  had  an  opening  in  the 
centre,  both  ends  of  the  banks  thus  formed  having  a  regularly- 
shaped  projection.  The  space  included  between  the  bank  and 
the  wall  formed  a  sort  of  stable,  as  was  evident  from  three 
stakes  placed  in  the  ground  at  equal  distances  from  each  other. 
Probably  it  was  the  place  for  three  head  of  cattle  or  goats. 
The  clay  bank,  therefore,  served  two  purposes,  partly  as  a  sep- 
aration of  the  stable  from  the  inner  apartment,  and  partly  as  a 
seat.  The  centre  of  the  apartment  was  formed  by  a  shed 
about  eight  feet  by  six,  and  consisting  of  a  roof  of  reeds  and 
grass,  supported  by  four  stakes,  and  furnishing  an  evident  proof 
that  the  apartment  had  never  been  covered  in,  but  formed  an 
open  little  court-yard  sub  dio. 

On  the  right  of  this  shed  was  the  cooking-place  or  kitchen, 
inclosed  by  two  very  low  clay  walls,  and  formed  by  four  pro- 
jections of  clay  in  the  shape  of  large  round  stones,  which  in  a 
very  simple  manner  formed  two  fireplaces,  each  of  which,  if  de- 
tached, would  have  required  three  stones.  Between  the  kitch- 
en, the  shed,  and  one  end  of  the  clay  bank,  and  divided  from  the 
former  by  a  separate  wall,  appeared  a  broad  entrance  to  the  ad- 
joining building,  which  we  have  recognized  as  a  granary ;  but 
at  present  it  was  walled  up,  and  formed  a  recess  for  some  pur- 
pose or  other.  Between  the  kitchen  and  the  gateway  was  an- 
other place  inclosed  between  two  thin  clay  walls,  which  was 
most  probably  destined  to  contain  the  water-jar. 

The  four  well-built  and  well-secluded  rooms,  wdiich  had  been 
intended  originally  as  granaries,  seemed  very  desirable  to  the 
vizier  in  cold  weather,  as  he  was  able  to  lodge  there  very  com- 
fortably, himself  and  his  female  slaves  ;  for  the  cold  in  this  open 
spot,  which  was  not  protected  either  by  vegetation  or  by  any 
rising  of  the  ground,  was  so  severe  that  not  only  the  whole 
black  world,  but  the  two  whites  also — that  is  to  say,  Mr.  Over- 
weg  and  myself,  natives  of  the  north  of  Europe — suffered  se- 
verely from  its  intensity.  Indeed,  it  was  most  distressing  dur- 
ing the  night  to  hear  the  shrieks  of  the  poor  naked  Musgu 
slaves,  who  had  been  torn  from  their  warm  huts,  and  it  was  not 
till  about  noon  that  they  seemed  to  revive  a  little.  Neverthe- 

VoL.  IL— D  D 


418 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


less,  the  thermometer,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  15th, 
indicated  as  much  as  51°,  which  was  the  greatest  amount  of 
cold  we  had  during  this  expedition,  and  at  noon  it  even  rose 
to  87°. 

We  were  obliged  to  remain  in  this  uncomfortable  place  sev- 
eral days,  owing  to  the  circumstance  that  the  whole  of  the  spoil 
was  to  be  divided  here  before  we  left  the  hostile  territory ;  for 
an  undisciplined  host  like  this,  of  course,  can  not  be  controlled 
except  by  fear ;  and  if  the  people  were  allowed  to  regain  their 
own  territory  with  what  they  had  taken  in  slaves  and  cattle, 
they  would  go  to  their  own  homes  without  contributing  any 
thing  to  the  common  share  of  the  army.  This  is  also  the  cus- 
tom in  Waday  as  well  as  in  Dar-Fur,  the  spoil  being  divided 
before  the  expedition  re-enters  the  friendly  territory.  Although 
on  the  present  occasion  the  expedition  had  not  been  eminently 
successful  in  the  different  places,  nevertheless  the  whole  booty, 
besides  about  10,000  head  of  cattle,  amounted  to  a  considera- 
ble number  of  slaves.  The  leaders  boasted  that  they  had  taken 
not  less  than  10,000  slaves ;  and,  although  I  was  glad  to  find 
that  this  number  was  exaggerated,  I  convinced  myself  that  they 
numbered  not  less  than  3000. 
/  By  far  the  largest  proportion  of  this  number  consisted  of 

aged  women,  who  had  not  been  able  to  join  in  the  hasty  flight, 
and  of  children  under  eight  years  of  age.  There  were  some 
women  so  decrepit  that  tliey  were  scarcely  able  to  walk — mere 
skeletons,  who,  in  their  almost  total  nakedness,  presented  a  hor- 
rible sight.  All  the  full-grown  men  who  had  been  taken  pris- 
oners, with  the  exception  of  a  few  cowards  who  had  not  made 
any  resistance,  had  been  slaughtered  ;  but  their  number  scarce- 
ly exceeded  300,  almost  the  whole  full-grown  male  population 
of  the  country  having  had  time  to  escape.  Of  these  3000 
slaves  the  commander-in-chief  received  a  third  part,  but  he  also 
claimed  for  himself  the  whole  amount  of  the  slave-hunt  which 
was  made  into  the  territory  of  A^dishen,  and  which  constituted 
a  sort  of  tribute. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  17th  two  officers  had  left  the  encamp- 
ment under  the  pretext  of  gathering  fodder  from  the  neighbor- 


DUPLICITY  OF  THE  VIZIER. 


419 


ing  villages,  but  in  the  evening  returned  with  about  800  slaves 
and  a  considerable  number  of  cattle ;  and  we  were  given  to  un- 
derstand that  this  foray  was  executed  with  the  consent  of  the 
chief  himself,  to  such  degrading  means  did  this  despicable  chief 
resort  in  order  to  preserve  his  authority,  however  precarious  it 
was.  Of  course,  he  selects  as  a  sacrifice  such  of  his  subjects 
as  are  not  his  zealous  followers  ;  but  it  is  almost  incredible  how 
such  a  government  can  exist,  as  his  dominion  scarcely  extends 
over  a  tract  of  country  more  than  fifteen  miles  in  every  direc- 
tion. At  any  rate,  his  subjects  seem  to  be  fully  justified  in 
taking  care  of  themselves^  and  they  had  succeeded,  in  the  dark- 
ness, in  getting  back  part  of  the  spoil  which  had  been  taken 
from  them. 

The  vizier  himself  pretended  to  behave  in  a  very  gracious 
manner  toward  the  submissive  vassal,  returning  to  him  about 
200  of  the  oldest  and  most  decrepit  women,  who,  he  most  prob- 
ably thought,  would  succumb  to  the  fatigues  of  the  march,  ob- 
serving, in  a  tone  of  friendly  irony,  that  they  were  to  cultivate 
the  country,  and  that  when  he  should  return  he  would  eat  of 
the  produce  of  their  labor.  On  other  occasions  the  vizier  had 
expressed  himself  to  me  to  the  effect  that  he  wished  .Vdishen 
strong  and  powerful,  in  order  that,  as  a  faithful  vassal,  he  might 
oppose  the  progress  of  the  Fellata  in  these  regions;  for  in  his 
heart  he  was  the  most  inveterate  enemy  of  that  enterprising 
nation,  and  certainly  he  had  ample  reason  to  be  so.  It  was  on 
this  occasion  I  heard  that  this  renegade  Musgu  chief  had  never 
been  rebellious  to  his  Bornu  sovereign  (which,  from  information 
I  had  received  previously,  I  concluded  to  have  been  the  case), 
but  that  occasionally  he  was  obliged  to  make  reprisals  against 
the  Shuwa,  who  were  making  plundering  expeditions  into  his 
territory. 

We  have  already  noticed  the  peculiar  situation  of  this  ^lus- 
gu  chief,  separated  from  the  interests  of  his  countrymen,  and 
opposed  to  them  in  a  hostile  manner.  He  has  to  defend  his 
position  against  all  the  people  around  him,  while  his  rear  is  very 
badly  protected  by  his  very  friends,  the  Bornu  people,  even  the 
Shuwa  Arabs,  who  are  subjected  to  the  former,  infesting  his  ter- 


420 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


ritorv.  Only  with  liis  kinsmen,  the  people  of  Logon,  he  seemed 
to  be  at  tlic  time  on  friendly  terms. 

Monday ^  January  19^A.  We  at  length  set  out  on  our  return 
to  Kukawa.  We  at  first  returned  to  the  ford  of  shallow  water, 
and  then  continued  through  a  fine  grassy  plain,  passing  one  or 
two  hamlets  and  a  few  fields  of  native  corn.  We  then  en- 
camped, after  a  march  of  about  ten  miles.  Already  this  day, 
in  the  distance  toward  the  west,  we  had  observed  some  small 
elevations ;  but,  proceeding  at  a  slow  rate,  and  making  very 
short  days'  marches,  we  did  not  reach  the  district  of  Waza, 
which  is  distinguished  by  its  rocky  mounts,  till  the  2 2d,  when, 
after  a  march  of  about  fifteen  miles,  we  encamped  between  those 
two  rocky  eminences  which  form  the  most  characteristic  feature 
of  this  locality. 

It  gave  us  extraordinary  pleasure,  after  having  traversed  the 
flat  alluvial  plains  of  Bornu  and  Musgu,  to  find  ourselves  once 
more  opposite  to  some  elevation  of  even  a  moderate  altitude. 
These  eminences  assumed  a  very  picturesque  appearance.  The 
valley  between  the  two  rocky  mountains  where  we  encamped 
was  rather  bare  of  trees,  but  there  were  some  beautiful  wild  fig- 
trees  at  the  northeastern  foot  of  the  western  eminence,  where  a 
pond  was  formed  in  a  deep  hollow.  To  this  spot  I  turned  my 
steps  immediately  after  our  arrival,  before  the  camels  had  joined 
us,  and  spent  here  a  delightful  hour,  all  the  horses  belonging  to 
the  army  being  brought  here  to  be  watered,  and  forming  a  varied 
and  highly  interesting  scene,  with  the  rich  verdure  of  the  trees 
around,  and  the  steep,  rocky  cliffs  above  them,  while  fresh  par- 
ties were  continually  arriving  from  the  camp. 

Having  made  a  sketch  of  this  locality,  which  is  represented 
in  the  accompanying  plate,  I  went  to  join  my  companion,  and 
we  decided  upon  ascending  the  more  elevated  of  the  two  emi- 
nences ;  but,  having  attained  to  the  height  of  some  hundred  feet, 
I  felt  quite  exhausted,  especially  as  I  had  a  severe  cold,  and  gave 
it  up ;  but  Mr.  Overweg  ascended  to  the  top,  which  rises  to 
about  700  feet  above  the  plain.*    These  rocky  mounts  abound 

*  Mr.  Vogel,  who  likewise  visited  this  spot  in  1854,  found  the  plain  elevated 
920  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  while  the  two  mounts  attained  the  respective 
heights  of  1300  and  IGOO  feet. 


ENCAMPMENT  AT  WA'ZA. 


423 


with  a  species  of  black  monkey,  while  even  beasts  of  prey  have 
their  haunts  here.  The  crevices  formed  by  the  granite  blocks 
are  adorned  with  small  trees  and  shrubs.  The  view  from  here 
over  the  immense  plain  toward  the  south,  girt  as  it  was  by  a 
continuous  band  of  middle-sized  timber,  was  very  characteristic, 
the  uniform  line  being  relieved  in  the  foreground  by  the  other 
rocky  mount. 

This  place  belongs  already  to  the  territory  of  Logon,  and  con- 
sists of  several  small  hamlets,  inhabited  by  Slmwa,  but  gov- 
erned by  a  chief,  or  "lawan,  who  belongs  to  the  tribe  of  the 
F61be. 

It  was  here  that  we  received  the  news  that  a  courier  had  ar- 
rived from  Fezzan,  but  that  he  had  been  plundered  by  the  Ta- 
warek  of  the  letters  and  articles  which  he  was  carrying  for  us. 
This,  of  course,  was  sad  news,  although  we  did  not  expect  to  re- 
ceive money  or  any  thing  of  great  value  at  the  time. 

January  22cZ.  After  a  long  delay,  caused  by  the  straying  of 
the  vizier's  favorite  horse,  which  he  rode  every  day,  and  which 
had  most  mysteriously  disappeared  during  the  night  from  the 
midst  of  the  encampment,  we  left  this  interesting  spot,  and,  after 
a  good  ride  over  a  very  rich  though  insufficiently  cultivated 
tract  of  country,  encamped  at  a  short  distance  from  a  broad, 
shallow  water  adorned  with  the  finest  trees ;  it  is  called  Zengi- 
ri.  From  here  we  reached  Diggera,  and  took  up  our  quarters 
in  our  old  camp,  pitching  our  tents  on  the  very  spot  where  they 
had  stood  two  months  previously ;  and  from  this  point  onward 
we  stopped  each  day  at  the  same  place  where  we  had  encamped 
on  our  outward  journey. 

February  1st.  On  our  re-entering  the  capital  there  was  a 
good  deal  of  ceremony  and  etiquette  observed,  when  the  whole 
army,*  at  least  that  part  which  had  not  yet  been  disbanded,  was 
formed  into  one  compact  line  of  battle,  in  order  to  receive  in  a 
suitable  manner  the  military  salutes  which  were  paid  to  the 
commander-in-chief  on  his  successful  return.  Distinguished 
above  all  those  who  came  to  meet  us  and  pay  their  compliments 

*  For  a  list  of  the  several  detachments  which  constituted  the  army,  at  least  the 
cavalry,  on  this  expedition,  see  Appendix  IV. 


424 


Til  A  V  ELS  IN  AFRICA. 


to  the  commander  was  Gliet,  the  chief  of  the  Welad  Sliman, 
who  a  few  days  previously  had  arrived  from  Kanem,  where  we 
left  him,  and  from  whence  he  had  made  a  successful  expedition 
against  the  Kunkuna  in  Karka,  Galloping  up  with  the  utmost 
speed  at  the  head  of  his  little  band  of  from  twenty  to  thirty 
horsemen,  clad  in  their  picturesque  attire,  this  petty  Arab  chief 
exhibited  an  interesting  and  animated  specimen  of  horseman- 
ship, which  presented  a  remarkable  contrast  to  the  unwieldy 
movements  of  the  clumsy  and  sluggish  figures  of  the  negroes. 
Returning  to  our  old  quarters  in  the  town,  we  were  treated  with 
a  peculiar  dainty  of  the  Kanuri,  consisting  of  the  fresh  seeds  of 
the  grain  called  masr  {Zea  mdis)^  which  are  roasted  in  a  peculiar 
way. 

Thus  ended  this  expedition,  which  opened  to  us  a  slight 
glimpse  into  the  richly-watered  zone  of  the  equatorial  regions, 
which  had  been  supposed  to  form  an  insurmountable  barrier  of 
a  high  mountain  chain,  and  brought  us  into  contact  with  tribes 
whose  character  had  been  represented  as  almost  approaching  to 
that  of  wild  beasts.  We  had  certainly  not  entered  those  re- 
gions under  such  circumstances  as  were  most  desirable  to  us, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  we  had  been  obliged  to  associate  ourselves 
with  an  army  whose  only  purpose  was  to  spread  devastation 
and  misery  over  them.  Nevertheless,  situated  as  we  were, 
while  we  could  not  prevent  this  mischief,  we  were  glad  that  we 
had  been  enabled  to  see  so  much.  We  were  without  any 
means,  no  further  supplies  having  arrived ;  but  I  did  not  de- 
spair, and  in  order  still  to  be  able  to  try  my  fortune  once  more 
m  another  direction  before  I  returned  home,  besides  other  arti- 
cles, I  even  sold  my  large  tent,  and  employed  part  of  the  pro- 
ceeds to  line  my  small  tent,  which  was  fast  wearing  out,  and 
neither  excluded  rain  nor  sun. 


SETTING  OUT  FOR  BAGI'RMI. 


425 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

SETTING  OUT  FOR  BAGlRMI.  THE  COUNTRY  OF  KOTOKO. 

I  HAD  returned  to  the  town  on  the  1st  of  February,  1852 ; 
on  the  4th  of  March  I  again  set  out  on  a  journey  to  Bagi'rmi. 
However,  I  did  not  feel  very  confident  as  to  the  success  of  my 
enterprise.  The  Sultan  of  Bagirmi  was  reported  as  being  ab- 
sent from  his  capital  on  an  expedition  to  the  southeast  of  his 
dominions,  but  I  was  given  to  understand  that  there  would  be 
no  great  difficulty  in  addressing  myself  to  the  lieutenant  govern- 
or, whom  he  had  left  to  represent  him  in  his  absence,  in  order 
to  be  allowed  to  join  him,  and  to  be  thus  enabled  to  explore 
those  more  southern  regions  which  by  myself  I  had  no  prospect 
of  visiting.  I  introduced  myself,  accordingly,  to  the  agent  of 
that  prince,  who  resides  in  Kukawa.  This  man  is  a  eunuch, 
who  was  made  prisoner  by  the  Kanuri  in  the  second  battle  of 
Ngala,  and  had  risen  to  the  dignity  of  mestrema  or  first  eunuch 
of  the  Sultan  of  Bornu.  But,  although  I  made  him  a  small 
present,  he  received  me  rather  coolly,  and  did  not  inspire  me 
with  much  confidence  as  to  my  ultimate  success. 

I  had  exhausted  my  means  entirely,  having  been  obliged  to 
purchase  at  high  prices,  for  credit,  even  the  very  small  supply 
of  presents  which  I  was  able  to  take  with  me.  I  had  only  two 
very  indifferent  servants,  Mohammed  ben  Habib  and  Mohammed 
ben  A^hmed,  both  young  lads  from  Fezzan,  as  limited  in  their 
intelligence  as  they  were  conceited  in  their  pretensions  as  Mos- 
lemin,  and  not  possessing  the  least  knowledge  of  the  country 
which  we  were  about  to  visit. 

The  only  animals  I  had  for  my  conveyance  were  a  horse  and 
a  she-camel.  Hence  I  did  not  set  out  with  that  spirit  of  confi- 
dence which  insures  success ;  but,  having  determined  to  return 
to  Europe  if  new  supplies  did  not  very  soon  arrive,  I  resolved 


426 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


to  make  a  last  desperate  attempt  to  accomplish  something  before 
I  tinally  left  the  country. 

]\Ir.  Overweg  accompanied  me  as  far  as  Ngornu,  where  we 
took  up  our  quarters  with  my  friend  the  Kashella  Kotoko.  Here, 
in  my  present  destitute  condition,  I  was  greatly  delighted  at  re- 
ceiving, by  private  message  from  the  vizier,  a  small  parcel  of 
coffee,  and  from  the  M'allem  Mohammed  a  loaf  of  sugar.  Such 
tokens  of  disinterested  friendship  are  very  gratifying  to  the  trav- 
eler in  a  foreign  land. 

Friday^  March  bth.  At  the  beginning  of  the  cotton-planta- 
tion I  took  leave  of  my  European  companion.  He  was  to  make 
an  excursion,  accompanied  by  Kotoko,  along  the  shores  of  the 
lake  toward  Maduwari — the  very  place  where,  in  the  course  of 
a  few  months,  he  was  destined  to  succumb. 

I  had  received  from  the  mestrema  a  trooper  as  escort,  but  he 
was  not  the  kind  of  man  I  should  have  liked.  If  phrenologists 
had  taken  his  features  as  the  general  type  of  the  Negro  race, 
they  would  have  felt  themselves  authorized  in  assigning  to  them 
a  more  intimate  connection  with  monkeys  than  with  men ;  and 
his  cheerless  but  self-conceited  disposition  was  in  perfect  harmo- 
ny with  his  exterior. 

The  waters  of  the  lagoon  had  already  considerably  decreased, 
laying  bare  fine  fresh  pasture -grounds,  on  which  numerous 
herds  of  cattle  were  grazing,  while  small  pools  of  stagnant  wa- 
ter, left  behind  by  the  retiring  inundation,  afforded  some  relief 
to  the  monotony  of  the  plain.  A  great  deal  of  cotton  is  culti- 
vated on  these  fertile  grounds,  and  an  immense  deal  more  might 
be  cultivated.  The  people  were  busy  in  all  directions  in  the  la- 
bors of  the  field,  while  on  those  grounds  which  were  not  culti- 
vated the  luxuriant  weed  of  the  Asclepias  was  reassuming  its 
ordinary  domain.  Scarcely  a  single  tree  was  to  be  seen,  and 
only  as  we  proceeded  onward  a  few  specimens  gradually  ap- 
peared. 

Thus  we  passed  the  village  of  Kukiya,  w^here  we  had  taken 
up  our  first  night's  quarters  on  the  expedition  to  Musgu.  Here 
the  deep  sandy  soil  was  at  times  enlivened  by  isolated  clusters 
of  the  dum-bush,  and  people  were  digging  here  and  there  for 


REMAINS  OF  PAGAN  RITES.— YE'DI. 


427 


the  rush-nut  ("  hab  el  'aziz*'  or  ''nefu,"  Cyperm  esculentus), 
which  I  liave  mentioned  on  former  occasions.  A  tract  of  indif- 
ferent cultivation  was  relieved  by  a  fine  field  of  wheat,  belong- 
ing to  several  of  the  great  men  or  kokanawa  of  Kukawa.  Hav- 
ing here  watered  our  horses,  we  wanted  to  make  a  halt  during 
the  heat  of  the  day  at  a  hamlet  belonging  to  Haj  Ibrahim ; 
but  we  were  rather  inhospitably  received,  and  stretched  our- 
selves, therefore,  under  the  shade  of  a  caoutchouc-tree  at  some 
distance  from  the  village.  The  tree  was  remarkable  on  account 
of  a  peculiar  "safi*'  or  charm,  which  testified  to  the  many  re- 
mains of  pagan  rites  still  lingering  in  these  countries.  It  con- 
sisted of  two  earthen  pots,  placed  one  upon  the  other,  and  filled 
with  a  peculiar  substance,  and  was  supposed  to  guarantee  prolif- 
icness  to  the  mares  of  the  village.  The  ground,  being  an  or- 
dinary resting-place  for  travelers,  swarmed  with  insects,  princi- 
pally that  large  kind  of  kari"  common  to  the  cattle  in  this 
country. 

When  we  started  again  in  the  afternoon  we  met  a  caravan, 
consisting  of  camels  and  pack-oxen  laden  with  Guinea-corn, 
which  one  of  our  friend  Lamino's  people  was  taking  to  town 
from  his  master's  plantation.  At  an  early  hour  we  reached 
Yedi,  which  we  had  also  touched  at  on  our  expedition  to  Mus- 
gu.  I  intended  to  have  taken  up  my  quarters  inside  the  town, 
but  the  streets  were  so  narrow  that  I  preferred  encamping  out- 
side. A  young  Shiiwa  lad  here  offered  his  services  to  me.  At 
the  well  where  we  had  watered  our  horses  he  had  lendered  us 
gratuitous  assistance,  and  I  had  given  him  a  few  needles  in  re- 
turn. Being  in  want  of  a  servant,  I  accepted  his  offer,  and  had 
strong  reason  in  the  course  of  my  travels  to  be  glad  of  having 
done  so ;  for  although  in  the  beginning  he  caused  me  some 
trouble,  and  behaved  at  times  rather  awkwardly,  he  proved,  on 
the  whole,  a  very  useful  servant. 

I  was  hospitably  treated  in  the  evening  by  a  young  man  of 
the  name  of  Degeji,  who  had  accompanied  Mr.  Overweg  on  his 
voyage  on  the  lake.  He  was  a  barber  and  a  musician,  and 
rather  a  gay  sort  of  person. 

Saturday,  March  6t/i.  We  followed  the  direct  route  for 


428 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


XgaLa.  The  country,  open  at  tlie  commencement,  became  grad- 
ually covered  by  the  dum-busli,  and  further  on  by  middle-sized 
trees  of  various  kinds.  Besides  the  wife  of  my  escort  trooper, 
who  was  to  pay  a  visit  to  her  father  in  Bagirmi,  and  who  was 
at  least  a  degree  better  than  her  husband,  a  very  cheerful  man 
of  the  name  of  Kago  had  attached  himself  to  our  little  troop. 
He  had  been  acquainted  with  the  members  of  the  former  expe- 
dition, and  was  anxious  to  give  me  all  possible  information  with 
regard  to  the  qualities  of  the  various  trees  and  bushes  which 
adorned  the  wilderness,  especially  the  kari,  karawa,  and  latram ; 
and  on  this  occasion  I  learned  that  a  kind  of  disease,  which 
would  seem  to  be  the  stigma  of  a  closely-packed  civilization,  is 
not  at  all  rare  in  these  countries  :  it  is  here  called  "  dun."  Ev- 
ery thing  testifies  to  the  richness  of  this  country,  which  is  now 
left  to  utter  neglect.  The  population  of  the  small  villages  which 
dot  the  landscape  is  mixed,  consisting  one  half  of  Kanuri  and 
the  other  of  Shiiwa ;  and  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  find  in 
one  of  them,  which  belongs  to  a  man  named  M'allem  Talbay 
Sami,  Fellata  or  Fulbe  mixed  with  the  Kanuri.  Most  of  the 
Shuwa  had  already  deserted  their  villages  for  temporary  res- 
idences in  other  quarters. 

At  an  early  hour  we  halted  in  the  village  Kostari,  the  inhab- 
itants of  which  had  seen  me  on  a  former  occasion.  They  seem 
to  be  very  poor,  which  may,  however,  be  attributed  to  their  lazi- 
ness. According  to  their  own  account,  they  were  living  almost 
entirely  upon  the  water-fowl  which  frequent  the  shores  of  the 
lagoon  in  countless  numbers ;  and,  indeed,  the  whole  village 
was  full  of  wild  geese  and  ducks.  However,  I  succeeded  in  get- 
ting a  little  milk,  some  honey,  and  kreb  or  kasha — a  kind  of 
seed,  probably  identical  with  the  Poa  Ahyssinica,  but  of  which 
there  are  different  species :  here  in  Bornu  there  are  principally 
two  species,  called  "  kasha  ngorgo"  and  "  kasha  magaya,"  while 
in  Waday  there  are  three  or  four,  called  "  denang,"  *'liliyak," 
"  shorok,"  and  tanfafanang,  besides  a  collateral  species  called 
'^fele." 

It  is  very  remarkable  that,  wdiile  the  waters  of  the  lake  are 
fresh,  most  of  the  water  which  is  obtained  hereabouts,  at  a  very 


ARBORESCENT  EUPHORBIACE^. 


429 


short  distance  from  its  shore,  is  full  of  natron.  The  water  of 
this  place  was  so  impregnated  with  that  mineral  that  it  was 
scarcely  drinkable,  which  was  felt  the  more  as  the  air  was  op- 
pressive in  the  extreme  ;  and  I  felt  so  exhausted  at  the  com- 
mencement of  my  journey,  and  after  a  long  stay  in  the  town, 
that  I  was  obliged  to  recruit  my  strength  with  a  small  remnant 
of  viastico  which  I  had  with  me.  The  heat  was  so  intense  that 
I  felt  very  grateful  when,  later  in  the  afternoon,  a  slight  breeze 
sprung  up.  My  poor  animals,  however,  fared  still  worse  than 
myself,  being  tormented  by  a  large  blood-sucking  fly. 

Major  Denham  traveled,  on  this  route,  along  the  south  side 
of  the  lake ;  but  the  road  which  he  took  is  now  entirely  given 
up  on  account  of  the  insecurity  of  the  country,  and  the  place  or 
rather  district  Keskari  mentioned  by  him,  lying  from  three  to 
four  hours'  march  northeast  from  this  place,  is  entirely  desert- 
ed ;  we  therefore  followed  a  more  southerly  road. 

The  first  object  which  attracted  our  attention  here  was  a  herd 
of  wild  hogs,  an  animal  which  I  had  very  rarely  seen  in  these 
regions,  but  which  I  afterward  found  frequenting  in  great  num- 
bers the  country  bordering  on  the  River  Shari ;  it  even  seems 
to  form  a  substantial  part  of  the  food  of  the  natives,  not  except- 
ing the  ^lohammedans. 

While  we  were  winding  along  the  narrow  path  leading  through 
the  forest,  the  vegetation  all  at  once  exhibited  an  entirely  new 
and  very  remarkable  feature  ;  for  here,  all  on  a  sudden,  I  saw 
a  group  of  perhaps  ten  or  twelve  large  trees  of  arborescent  En- 
phorhiacecB,  I  have  mentioned  small  specimens  of  euphorbia 
on  my  journey  through  Damergliu,  and  even  in  Hausa ;  but  I 
had  afterward  almost  entirely  lost  sight  of  it  in  Negi'oland. 
Here,  however,  this  plant  grows  to  a  height  of  certainly  not  less 
than  from  thirty  to  thirty-five  feet,  its  succulent,  luxuriant,  cac- 
tus-like leaves  contrasting  in  a  very  remarkable  manner  with 
the  monotonous  and  dry  vegetation  of  the  mimosas  around. 
There  must  be  something  very  peculiar  in  the  soil  in  this  tract : 
for  I  never  afterward,  in  the  whole  of  my  travels,  beheld  the 
euphorbia  attain  to  such  an  altitude,  the  greatest  height  which  I 
saw  it  reach  being  twenty  feet.    This  was  in  the  country  of 


430 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Musgu,  in  an  entirely  isolated  instance ;  and  even  on  the  jour- 
ney to  Bagirmi  I  did  not  meet  with  a  single  specimen  of  this 
plant,  however  small. 

Proceeding  through  a  part  of  the  forest  which  exhibited  a 
fresher  appearance,  and  which  was  enlivened  by  a  troop  of  horse- 
men whom  we  met,  we  reached  the  village  of  Dabuwa  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Here  we  were  hospitably  received,  in 
consequence  of  the  persuasive  manners  of  my  cheerful  compan- 
ion Kago,  while  the  apish  grimaces  of  the  trooper  who  formed 
my  official  escort  were  quite  disregarded.  Poultry,  milk,  and 
Negro  corn  were  given  to  us  for  our  supper  in  the  evening.  In 
this  place  people  are  not  so  badly  off  for  water,  the  well  meas- 
uring not  more  than  five  fathoms. 

Swiiday^  March  1th.  When  we  started,  we  entered  a  very 
dense  part  of  the  forest  ''karaga  tsilim,"  as  the  Kanuri  say), 
with  a  rich  variety  of  trees,  but  all  of  middle  size,  and  not  a 
single  tamarind  or  monkey-bread-tree  w^as  to  be  seen.  As  we 
proceeded,  however,  the  country  became  a  little  more  open,  the 
*^karaga  tsilim"  giving  way  to  the  "dirride,"  or  clear  forest, 
and  signs  of  cultivation  were  seen.  Here  I  observed  that  the 
clayey  soil,  or  "  ange,"  was  intersected  by  small  ridges,  in  order 
to  retain  the  water,  during  the  rainy  season,  for  the  cultivation 
of  the  masakuwa.  Cotton  also  seemed  to  be  cultivated  to  some 
extent.  In  this  district,  too,  the  villages  contained  a  mixed  pop- 
ulation of  Shuwa  and  Kanuri.  The  village  Gujari,  which  we 
passed  farther  on,  was  distinguished  by  an  extensive  pottery. 
Here  the  road  was  enlivened  by  a  numerous  caravan  of  pack- 
oxen  laden  with  grain,  on  their  way  to  Dikowa,  the  town  de- 
scribed on  my  expedition  to  the  Musgu  country  ;  for,  as  I  have 
there  stated,  the  cultivation  of  that  place  is  almost  entirely  lim- 
ited to  cotton,  while  all  the  corn  which  is  required  for  the  con- 
sumption of  the  inhabitants  is  imported.  The  cotton  is  not 
carried  by  beasts  of  burden,  but  on  the  heads  of  the  natives ; 
and  a  little  farther  on  we  met  a  numerous  train  of  these  people, 
whose  appearance  imparted  some  idea  of  industry.  Passing  on 
our  road  many  patches  of  that  black  boggy  soil  called  "firki" 
or  "ange,"  which  I  have  described  on  a  former  occasion,  we 


SALT  PRODUCED  FROM  DUNG. 


431 


reached  the  small  village  of  Hokkum  at  about  half  past  eight  in 
the  morning. 

We  had  expressly  chosen  this  road  in  order  to  avoid  the 
wells  of  bitter  water  in  the  village  Jemage,  which  lies  on  the 
southern  road  ;  but  here  we  fared  worse,  for  there  was  no  water 
at  all  in  the  village,  and  we  had  to  send  to  a  great  distance  to 
get  a  small  supply,  the  quality  of  which  was  any  thing  but 
agreeable.  This  scarcity  of  water,  however,  seemed  to  arise 
only  from  the  laziness  of  the  inhabitants ;  for  the  wells  are  not 
more  than  three  fathoms  deep,  and  the  floods  of  the  lake  them- 
selves occasionally  approach  so  near  that  it  has  been  found  nec- 
essary to  protect  the  village  on  its  north  side  by  a  dike.  Here 
we  passed  the  heat  of  the  day  in  the  shade  of  a  korna-tree,  the 
fruit  of  which,  being  just  ripe,  in  want  of  some  better  indulg- 
ence, we  did  not  despise. 

I  was  greatly  surprised  to  observe  here  that  salt  is  obtained 
by  burning  the  dung  of  cattle.  It  is  indeed  very  remarkable 
how  the  poorer  people  in  Negroland  endeavor  to  supply  their 
want  of  this  article,  which  in  every  stage  of  society  has  become 
such  an  essential  ingredient  of  common  diet. 

About  half  an  hour  after  starting  in  the  afternoon  we  reached 
a  considerable  water-course,  which,  bordered  by  fine-spreading 
trees,  had  a  very  pleasant  appearance.  It  is  called  Komadugu 
I^mbulu,  or  Mbulu.  This  water-course  was  asserted  by  my 
companion  Kago  to  be  entirely  distinct  from  the  Yalowe,  or 
komadugu  of  Dikowa ;  and  from  the  experience  I  had  on  my 
return-journey  I  think  he  was  correct.  The  banks  of  the  wa- 
ter-course were  twelve  feet  high ;  its  breadth  w^as  from  twenty 
to  twenty-five  yards ;  but  the  depth  of  the  water  was  only  a 
foot  and  a  half.  No  current  was  then  perceptible.  The  trees 
of  the  forest,  after  we  left  this  water-course,  were  of  a  greater 
variety,  but  all  of  rather  stunted  growth.  We  observed  here 
great  quantities  of  the  grass  called  kreb  or  kasha,  wliich  I  have 
before  mentioned,  and  which  constitutes  a  considerable  part  of 
the  food  of  the  poorer  inhabitants.  We  passed  several  towns  in 
a  state  of  the  utmost  decay  and  entirely  deserted,  and,  travers- 
ing a  dense  underwood,  which  we  scarcely  expected  to  see  in 


432 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


the  neighborhood  of  a  large  town,  reached  at  five  o'clock  the  clay 
walls  of  Ngala. 

The  interior  of  this  town  has  a  very  peculiar  character,  and 
nothing  similar  to  it  is  seen  in  any  part  of  Negroland,  although 
the  place  at  present  is  in  a  great  state  of  decay ;  for  all  the  an- 
cient quarter  of  the  town  consists  of  clay  houses,  built  on  an 
imposing  and  elevated  terrace.  The  palace  of  the  governor  is 
indeed  something  quite  stupendous  for  these  regions,  having, 
with  its  immense  substructure,  and  its  large  and  towering  walls, 
the  appearance  of  a  large  citadel.  We  were  quartered  in  the 
extensive  mansion  of  the  gedado  or  delatu,  in  which  Mr.  Tully 
died ;  but  it,  as  well  as  the  whole  of  the  town,  was  in  the  ut- 
most state  of  decay.  The  times  of  Meram,  the  beloved  wife  of 
the  Sheikh  Mohammed  el  Amin  el  Kanemy,  had  gone  by  ;  and 
the  wealth  of  Ngala  had  been  consumed  by  the  slaves  of  the 
present  sheikh  and  his  vizier.  The  once  magnificent  palace  of 
Meram  itself  is  nothing  but  a  large,  desolate  heap  of  ruins. 

The  quarters,  however,  which  were  assigned  to  me  were  in 
a  tolerable  state  of  repair,  consisting,  as  they  did,  of  an  upper 
story,  which  afforded  me  sufficient  protection  against  the  num- 
bers of  musquitoes  which  infest  the  place.  We  remained  here 
the  following  day,  when  I  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  governor 
at  his  residence ;  but  I  felt  rather  sorry  for  it,  as  the  good  im- 
pression which  the  imposing  exterior  of  the  palace  had  made 
upon  me  was  destroyed  by  the  ruinous  and  desolate  state  of 
the  interior.  The  whole  province  is  now  in  a  very  neglected 
condition,  such  as  would  indicate  that  the  ruler  of  the  country 
himself  acknowledged  his  incapability  of  defending  his  subjects 
against  another  inroad  of  the  Waday. 

The  governor  was  not  a  very  intelligent  man,  but  it  was  he 
who  first  called  my  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  town  of  Ngala 
has  its  own  peculiar  idiom,  quite  distinct  from  the  Kanuri,  and 
I  afterward  found  that  it  is  even  different  from  the  dialects  of 
the  other  principal  places  in  the  province  of  Kotoko,  though  it 
is  very  closely  related  to  the  idioms  spoken  by  the  islanders  of 
the  Tsad  (the  so-called  Budduma,  but  whose  real  name  is  Ye- 
dina)  on  the  one  side,  and  to  that  of  the  Musgu  on  the  other. 


ASPECT  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


433 


At  some  distance  from  INTgala  is  the  town  of  NdifFu  or  Ndifu, 
Avhich  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  latest  strongholds  of 
the  tribe  of  the  Soy  or  So,  whom  I  have  repeatedly  mentioned 
in  my  historical  sketch  of  the  empire  of  Bornu  ;  and  sundry  re- 
markable ornaments  are  said  to  be  dug  up  frequently  in  that 
place. 

Tuesday^  March  2th,  I  had  seen  scarcely  any  traces  of  cul- 
tivation on  the  western  side  of  the  town,  and  when  we  set  out 
again  I  found  as  little  on  the  other  sides.  Nevertheless,  the 
environs  of  Ngala,  especially  the  northeast  side,  are  of  great  in- 
terest in  the  eyes  of  the  Bornu  people,  as  having  been  the  scene 
of  two  important  battles  fought  with  the  Bagirmi,  in  the  first  of 
which,  in  the  year  of  the  Hejra  1233,  the  Sultan  Dunama  was 
slain ;  and  my  companions,  who  remembered  all  the  incidents 
of  that  struggle,  pointed  out,  with  patriotic  enthusiasm,  the  va- 
rious positions  which  each  body  of  the  combatants  had  occu- 
pied. 

The  country,  however,  became  very  monotonous,  extending 
in  an  almost  unbounded  plain  of  black  argillaceous  soil  of  the 
description  mentioned  above,  although  after  the  rainy  season, 
when  the  whole  ground  has  become  inundated,  it  is  changed 
into  one  vast  field  of  cultivation,  producing  that  peculiar  variety 
of  sorghum  or  holcus  which  is  called  masakuwa ;  but  at  that 
season  the  whole  of  this  country  is  scarcely  passable  for  horses, 
and  still  less  so  for  camels.  Several  small  villages,  inhabited 
by  Shuwa,  were  to  be  seen  at  some  distance  to  the  south.  We 
lost  a  great  deal  of  time  through  having  missed  our  way  in  a 
forest  of  small  mimosas  which  surrounds  this  plain,  till  Ave  at 
length  reached  a  village  called  Sittahe,  where  we  rested  during 
the  heat  of  the  day.  The  village  consists  of  two  separate 
groups,  one  of  which  contains  large  conical  huts  for  the  rainy 
season,  while  the  other  is  formed  of  light  oblong  dwellings 
adapted  for  the  dry  season,  constructed  entirely  of  mats.  Here 
we  were  entertained  by  a  m'allem  who  had  formerly  possessed 
considerable  property,  but  who  had  sufi'ered  greatly  from  the 
contributions  levied  upon  him  by  the  slaves  of  his  liege  lord. 
It  is  these  impudent  slaves  of  the  court  who,  having  no  interest 

Vol.  TI.— E  e 


434 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


in  the  welfare  of  the  inhabitants,  inflict  so  mucli  evil  on  the 
country.  With  regard  to  the  settlements  of  the  Arabs  in  this 
district  of  Kotoko,  I  think  that  they  are  not  more  than  two 
hundred  years  old.  ]\Iost  of  these  Arabs  belong  to  the  numer- 
ous tribe  of  the  Salamat. 

In  the  afternoon,  after  traveling  about  four  miles,  we  reached 
the  town  of  Een.  This  was  formerly  a  considerable  place,  but 
it  is  now  almost  deserted,  and  the  wall  has  fallen  to  ruins  ;  the 
aspect  of  the  place,  however,  is  very  picturesque,  beautiful  and 
wide-spreading  fig-trees  shading  the  ruins  of  high,  well-built 
clay  houses.  ISly  quarters  were  better  than  I  had  expected — 
an  excellently-built  hut,  provided  with  all  the  comfort  which 
such  a  building  is  capable  of  affording ;  but  the  comfortable  re- 
pose which  the  neat  appearance  of  my  hut  promised  me  was 
sadly  disturbed  by  swarms  of  musquitoes,  that  owe  their  exist- 
ence to  a  large  swamp  at  the  northern  side  of  the  wall.  The 
town  of  Ren  w^as  formerly  the  centre  of  a  petty  kingdom,  but  it 
is  at  present  reduced  to  utter  ruin.  Its  inhabitants  have  a  pe- 
culiar dialect  of  their  own.  But,  although  the  governor  was 
very  eloquent  in  his  description  of  the  misery  to  which  his 
people  were  at  present  reduced,  yet  he  treated  me  very  hos- 
pitably. 

March  10th.  Leaving  the  swamp  above  mentioned  on  one 
side,  we  pursued  our  march  through  a  fertile  and  well-inhabited 
district  full  of  open  hamlets,  while  the  corn-fields  were  enlivened 
with  numbers  of  korna-trees,  at  present  laden  with  fruit.  I  was 
pleased  to  see  that  the  inhabitants  of  this  district  follow  the 
same  custom  as  the  !Musgu  people,  storhig  their  provision  of 
herbage  for  the  dry  season  on  the  branches  of  the  trees.  All  the 
inhabitants  are  xlrabs,  and  belong  to  the  tribe  called  "VYelad  Me- 
gebel,  whose  chief  is  called  Fsa  A^she  ;  the  name  of  the  district 
is  Eangana.  At  a  considerable  distance  toward  the  south  there 
is  a  w^alled  town  called  Dema,  belonging  to  the  Sheikh  Abba. 
The  Arabs  are  either  cattle-breeders  or  corn-growers ;  but  far- 
ther on  we  saw  some  cotton  under  cultivation,  after  which  we 
again  entered  upon  firki  ground,  where  my  companion  called 
my  attention  to  a  new  variety  of  grass  called  "litutu,"  the 


ATADE'. 


435 


seeds  of  which,  besides  the  kreb  above  mentioned,  constitute  a 
great  part  of  the  food  of  the  poorer  people  of  this  district. 

Dense  rows  of  fine  tamarind-trees  indicated  the  neighborhood 
of  a  water-course,  which  even  at  present  was  of  some  importance, 
being  about  35  yards  broad,  and  3  feet  9  inches  in  depth,  but 
without  a  perceptible  current ;  a  small  canoe,  however,  lying  on 
its  border,  justified  the  opinion  that  occasionally  it  is  not  ford- 
able,  of  which  I  myself  received  a  proof  on  my  return-journey, 
when  I  crossed  it  lower  down,  near  Legari.  This  w^ater-course, 
which  in  the  rainy  season  conveys  toward  the  lake  a  considera- 
ble quantity  of  water,  is  called  Komadugu  Lebe.  There  was 
formerly  a  considerable  town,  called  Sulo,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  water-course ;  but  this  at  present  is  deserted,  and  its  ruins 
are  overgrown  by  thick  forest.  A  little  distance  farther  on,  the 
site  of  another  ancient  town  testified  to  the  former  importance 
of  this  district.  We  were  now  approaching  the  largest  town  of 
Kotoko ;  but  scarcely  any  signs  of  industry  were  to  be  seen, 
with  the  exception  of  a  young  plantation  of  cotton,  and  thick 
forest  approached  close  to  the  wall  of  the  town,  which  is  very 
extensive,  but  fast  falling  to  ruins. 

The  whole  interior  of  the  town  of  A^fade  is  one  vast  heap  of 
rubbish,  from  w^hich  only  here  and  there  a  building  in  tolerable 
repair  starts  forth,  the  greatest  ornament  of  the  place  at  present 
being  a  most  magnificent  fig-tree  of  the  species  called  "  buske," 
identical,  I  think;  with  the  tree  called  duw^e  by  the  Arabs  near 
Timbuktu.  I  scarcely  remember  ever  to  have  seen  such  a  no- 
ble and  luxuriant  specimen  of  this  family  of  the  vegetable  king- 
dom. Spreading  its  vast  impenetrable  canopy  of  the  freshest 
and  most  beautiful  green  over  a  great  part  of  the  square  ir. 
front  of  the  lofty  ruins  of  the  governor's  palace,  it  formed  the 
chief  louhging-place  or  "fage"  for  the  idle  loiterers  in  this  once 
industrious  and  wealthy  town. 

My  quarters,  in  the  upper  story  of  a  house,  were  very  toler- 
able, and,  besides  being  airy,  afforded  me  a  view  over  the  near- 
est part  of  the  town,  from  whence  I  had  an  opportunity  of  ad- 
miring the  excellent  quality  of  the  clay  with  which  these  houses 
are  built.    Clay,  indeed,  seems  to  have  entirely  excluded,  in 


436 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


ancient  times,  from  the  country  of  Kotoko,  the  lighter  buildings 
of  recci  and  straw  ;  and  I  observed  that  even  many  of  the  round 
huts  were  of  considerable  elevation,  being  furnished  with  a  roof 
of  clay,  which  formed  a  neat  terrace  surrounded  by  a  low  par- 
apet. 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  considerable  degree  of  civiliza- 
tion in  former  times  in  this  little  kingdom  of  Kotoko,  or,  rather, 
in  this  group  of  distinct  principalities,  the  independent  charac- 
ter of  which  is  shown  by  the  great  diversity  of  its  dialects, 
which  vary  with  every  large  town,  viz.,  Klesem,  Gulfe  and  Ku- 
suri,  Makari  and  Mafate,  A^fade,  Een,  and  Ngala.  When  w^e 
consider  that  this  country  is  not  mentioned  among  the  list  of 
the  Negro  countries  by  E^bn  S'aid  (A.D.  1283)  which  is  pre- 
served by  E'bn  Khaldun,*  where  even  the  Kuri  are  not  forgot- 
ten, while  it  is  evidently  mentioned  by  Makrizi,t  it  appears  that 
it  rose  into  importance  in  the  course  of  the  14th  century.  Al- 
though we  are  not  able  to  explain  fully  the  circumstances  un- 
der which  this  happened,  we  may  conclude  that  it  was  due  in 
some  degree  to  the  struggle  between  the  two  powerful  dynas- 
ties of  Bornu  and  Bulala. 

As  for  the  dialect  of  A^fade,  of  which  I  made  a  short  vocab- 
ulary, it  appears  to  form  a  link  between  the  idiom  of  the  Yedi- 
na,{  the  islanders  of  the  Tsad,  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Musgu 
people  on  the  other. 

In  the  province  of  A^fade  a  great  proportion  of  the  population 
consists  of  Shuwa,  principally  of  the  tribes  E'  Nejaime  and 
Welad  Abu  Khodhair.  The  governor  was  absent  just  at  the 
time  on  a  small  expedition  to  chastise  some  of  these  people, 
who.  are  very  unsettled  in  their  habits,  and  often  refractory. 
Notwithstanding  his  absence,  however,  we  were  very  hospitably 
treated,  our  supper  consisting,  besides  a  sheep  and  numerous 
bowls  of  Indian  corn,  of  a  dish  of  well-dressed  fish,  very  palata- 

*  EOjii  Khaldun,  texte  Arabe,  vol.  i.,  p.  200;  trad.  S.  Macguckin  de  Slane, 
vol.  ii.,  p.  116. 

t  Makn'zi,  in  Hamaker,  Spec.  Catal.,  p.  206,  ^^^'\^  • 

t  I  repeat  here  what  I  have  stated,  I  think,  in  another  place,  that  in  my  opin- 
ion the  Yedina  are  meant  by  Makrizi's  \^\ . 


ANTELOrES.— GUINEA-FOWL.— COTTON.  437 

able,  from  the  Eiver  Lebe ;  there  was  likewise  no  scarcity  of 
milk. 

March  Wth.  It  would  certainly  have  been  very  interesting 
to  have  made  a  few  days'  stay  here,  in  order  to  obtain  a  clearer 
insight  into  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  this  province ;  but  as 
the  more  distant  object  of  my  enterprise  did  not  allow  of  a  lon- 
ger delay,  I  pursued  my  march.  All  these  towns  are  very  in- 
convenient for  travelers,  their  gates  not  being  large  enough  for 
loaded  camels  to  pass  through.  When  we  had  reached  the 
great  road,  where  the  forest  is  interrupted  by  a  little  cultivation 
of  cotton,  I  saw  two  beautiful  specimens  of  that  species  of  an- 
telope which  is  here  called  "tigdim,"  of  gray  color,  and  very 
low  in  body :  I  think  it  is  identical  with,  or  nearly  related  to 
the  Antilope  anniiUjpes. 

This  was  the  only  time  I  observed  this  species  of  antelope 
during  my  travels  in  Xegroland.  Great  numbers  of  Guinea- 
fowl,  such  I  had  never  observed  before,  enlivened  the  under- 
wood farther  on,  the  ground  consisting  of  a  hard  soil  called  by 
the  natives  kabe,  and  covered  with  only  a  scanty  growth  of 
stunted  mimosas.  I  was  much  interested  in  observing  here 
the  red  species  of  Jsegro  corn,  which  seems  not  to  be  cultivated 
by  the  more  civilized  tribes  of  Negroland,  but  which  forms  the 
principal  food  of  the  pagan  races  toward  the  south.  Having 
passed  a  Shuwa  hamlet — beri  Shuwabe — the  country  became 
more  diversified.  A  considerable  pond,  at  present  dry,  and  bor- 
dered by  beautiful  trees,  spread  out  on  our  left,  while  our  right 
was  bordered  by  the  ruins  of  a  large  town  called  Su,  a  name 
which  seems  to  be  a  remnant  of  the  ancient  tribe  of  the  So  or 
Soy,  which  formerly  ruled  over  the  whole  of  this  region  as  far 
as  Kala.  A  poor  old  woman,  incapacitated  by  age  from  reach- 
ing the  market-town,  was  sitting  in  front  of  the  ruined  wall,  of- 
fering to  the  passers-by  the  little  cotton  which  she  had  been 
able  to  clean.  The  country  is  at  present  in  such  a  state,  prin- 
cipally owing  to  the  turbulent  spirit  of  the  Shuwa  Arabs,  that 
even  this  road  is  regarded  as  unsafe;  and  we  were  therefore 
obliged  to  keep  together,  several  inhabitants  of  Logon  having 
attached  themselves  to  my  little  caravan.    The  road  divides 


438 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


here,  the  more  considerable  patli  leading  to  the  town  of  Kusuri, 
and  the  smaller  southern  one,  which  we  followed,  leading  to 
Logon  birni,  or  Karnak  Logone. 

We  passed  two  villages  called  Debabe  Gezawa  and  Debabe 
Ngaja,  but  the  latter  of  which  still  bears  the  very  remarkable 
name  of  Krenik,  and  is  stated  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  neigh- 
borhood to  have  been  the  capital,  or  one  of  the  capitals,  of  the 
once  powerful  tribe  of  the  Soj.  The  exact  period  when  this 
town  was  destroyed  I  could  not  ascertain  ;  but  probably  it  hap- 
pened during  the  reign  of  the  great  Kanuri  king  Edris  Alawo- 
ma,  about  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century.  More  re- 
cently this  neighborhood  was  saturated  with  the  blood  of  num- 
bers of  Bornu  people,  in  the  sanguinary  struggle  with  their  neigh- 
bors, the  Bagirmi  or  Bagrimma ;  and  it  was  in  one  of  these 
conflicts,  near  the  walled  town  of  ^Iiltam,  about  forty  years  ago 
(A.H.  1232),  that  the  Sheikh  Mohammed  el  Kanemi  lost  his 
eldest  and  most  beloved  son. 

Having  watered  our  animals  at  a  shallow  stream,  spreading 
out  in  the  meadow-ground,  we  continued  our  march,  and  about 
half  an  hour  before  noon  had  to  cross  a  very  difficult  swamp,  with 
boggy  ground,  where  several  of  our  people  stuck  fast.  The  whole 
of  this  region  is  subject  to  partial  inundations ;  but  it  seems 
very  remarkable  that  they  do  not  attain  their  greatest  height 
in  or  at  the  end  of  the  rainy  season,  but  several  months  later ; 
and  I  found  afterward,  -when  I  traversed  this  country  again  to- 
ward the  end  of  August,  in  the  very  height  of  the  rainy  season, 
that  not  only  this,  but  the  other  swamps,  were  considerably 
lower  than  they  were  in  March.  This  circumstance  depends 
on  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  Tsad,  which  reaches  its  highest 
level  "in  November,  when  all  the  waters  carried  down  by  the 
several  rivers  and  torrents  have  spread  over  the  whole  surface 
of  the  lagoon,  while  the  loss  from  evaporation  is  then  much  less 
than  during  the  hot  months. 

Continuing  through  a  very  thick  forest  full  of  herds  of  wild 
hogs,  which  seem  greatly  to  delight  in  these  low,  swampy,  and 
densely  overgrown  grounds  on  either  side  of  the  (river)  Shari, 
and  having  passed  another  swamp,  and  the  forest  at  length 


PROVINCE  OF  LOGO'N. 


439 


clearing,  we  obtained  a  sight  of  the  high  clay  walls  of  the  town 
of  Kala,  starting  forth  from  a  beautiful  grove  of  fig-trees,  and 
overtowered  by  a  very  lofty  but  slightly  inclined  solitary  palm- 
tree. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

PEOYINCE  OF  LOGON. — LOGoN  BiRNI. 

Kala  is  the  first  town  of  the  territory  of  Logon  or  Logone, 
the  boundary  of  which  we  had  crossed  a  short  time  before. 
Having  entered  the  town  through  an  extremely  narrow  gate, 
which  scarcely  allowed  my  bare  and  slender  she-camel  to  pass 
through  after  having  taken  from  her  back  the  whole  load,  I  was 
struck  with  the  very  different  aspect  it  exhibited  from  the  re- 
gions we  had  just  left ;  for,  while  the  dwellings  testified  to  a 
certain  degree  of  civilization,  the  inhabitants  themselves  seem- 
ed to  approach  nearer  to  the  pagans  than  to  the  ]\Iohammedans. 
We  had  scarcely  entered  the  town  when  we  were  surrounded 
by  a  troop  of  boys  and  young  lads  from  seven  to  twelve  years 
of  age,  tall  and  well  built,  and  in  a  state  of  entire  nudity,  a 
thing  hardly  ever  seen  in  the  country  of  Bornu,  even  with 
slaves.  The  type  of  their  features,  however,  was  very  different 
from  the  general  type  observed  in  the  Bornu  people,  and  seem- 
ed to  indicate  more  intelligence  and  cunning.  I  have  already 
observed,  in  the  country  of  ]\Iusgu,  how  the  state  of  the  dwell- 
ings contrasts  with  the  apparel,  or  rather  the  want  of  apparel, 
of  the  people  themselves  ;  but  here  it  seemed  more  remarkable, 
for  the  dwellings  in  general  did  not  consist  of  round  conical 
huts,  but  of  spacious  oblong  houses  of  clay  of  considerable  ele- 
vation. I  was  quartered  in  one  of  these  structures,  but  found 
it  rather  close  and  full  of  dust. 

The  town  presented  an  appearance  of  the  utmost  decay,  only 
a  few  dwellings  remaining  in  the  centre  of  it ;  and  the  only  re- 
markable objects  were  two  palm-trees,  one  of  which  I  had  al- 
ready observed  from  without ;  and  I  now  assured  myself  that 


440 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


they  were  not  date-trees,  but  belonged  to  the  fan-shaped  group 
of  pahns.  But  they  were  not  bifurcated,  and  seemed  not  to  be- 
long to  the  Cucifera  Thebdica^  nor  were  they  identical  with  the 
deleb-palm.  At  any  rate,  they  were  the  tallest  specimens  which 
I  ever  remember  to  have  seen  of  the  fan-shaped  tribe,  their 
heiglit  appearing  more  extraordinary  on  account  of  the  small 
tuft  of  leaves,  which  was  confined  to  the  very  top.  The  town 
itself  presenting  no  very  interesting  features,  I  went  out  in  the 
afternoon,  and  lay  down  for  an  hour  or  two  in  the  shade  of  one 
of  those  beautiful  fig-trees  which,  fed  by  a  large  and  deep 
swamp,  surround  the  town  on  all  sides ;  but,  the  more  pleasant 
was  my  day's  repose,  the  more  disagreeable  was  my  night's 
rest;  for,  owing  to  these  stagnant  pools,  the  town  is  full  of  mus- 
quitoes,  and  neither  I  myself  nor  any  of  my  companions  were 
able  to  get  any  sleep  the  whole  of  the  ensuing  night. 

We  therefore  rose  very  early  in  the  following  morning,  long 
before  daybreak,  and  at  four  o'clock  had  already  left  the  gate 
of  the  town  behind  us.  There  is  still  a  great  deal  of  cultiva- 
tion of  cotton  to  be  seen,  even  in  the  present  state  of  decay  to 
which  this  province  is  reduced,  but  an  immense  deal  more  might 
be  cultivated.  Then  followed  fields  of  sorghum  ;  and  farther 
on,  the  lowing  of  cattle  and  the  cackling  of  hens  indicated  the 
presence  of  a  Shuwa  village  at  some  distance  on  our  left.  Cul- 
tivated ground  and  forest  alternately  succeeded  each  other,  the 
wild  hog  being  seen  in  every  direction,  while  numerous  villages 
were  lying  about  here  and  there,  but  at  present  all  deserted,  the 
inhabitants,  who  belong  to  the  Shuwa,  migrating  during  the  dry 
season  toward  a  large,  shallow  water-course  in  the  southwest, 
where  they  find  fresher  pasture-grounds  for  their  cattle.  This 
water-course  or  ngaljam  is  famous  under  several  names,  being 
called  Bawish,  Madef,  and  Burbede.  We  then  passed  on  our 
left  the  town  U^lluf,  Hiilluf,  or  Helib,  surrounded  by  a  high 
clay  wall,  and  almost  hidden  behind  wide-spreading  fig-trees, 
just  as  is  the  case  with  Kala.  This  town,  the  name  of  wh'ich 
is  pronounced  "  Elf"  by  the  Arabs,  and  of  the  origin  of  which 
they  give  very  absurd  accounts,  is  ill-famed  for  the  presumed 
witchcraft  and  sorcery  of  its  inhabitants  ;  and  this  was  the  only 


FERTILITY  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


441 


reason  whicli  prevented  my  eompanions  from  staying  here  dur- 
ing the  heat  of  the  day. 

We  therefore  continued  our  march,  and,  having  passed  anoth- 
er swamp,  entered  a  well-cultivated  district,  where  a  great  deal 
of  sorghum  was  grown.  I  was,  however,  surprised  at  seeing  the 
stacks  of  grain,  or,  as  they  are  called  in  Kanuri,  bagga  argumbe, 
still  standing  in  the  fields. 

We  encamped  a  little  beyond  the  temporary  village  of  Sheikh 
el  Khases,  close  to  an  extensive  sheet  of  water,  under  the  shade 
of  a  beautiful  tamarind-tree.  This  piece  of  water,  as  the  peo- 
ple assured  me,  only  dries  up  annually  for  a  short  time,  when 
the  rainy  season  again  fills  it.  All  these  native  Arabs,  as  I 
have  already  had  occasion  to  remark,  are  very  inhospitable,  and 
the  people  here,  where  we  had  encamped,  did  not  offer  us  any 
refreshment.  However,  I  succeeded  in  buying  from  them  a  lit- 
tle honey  for  a  few  needles. 

When  we  started  again  in  the  afternoon  we  had  great  diffi- 
culty in  avoiding  the  swamps.  The  country  at  times  was  well 
cultivated,  producing,  besides  sorghum,  a  quantity  of  beans  of 
the  specided  kind ;  but  I  was  not  a  little  astonished  to  see,  in 
the  midst  of  the  stubble-fields,  young  crops  of  that  variety  of 
sorghum  called  "  masakuwa."  This  is  a  very  rare  sight  in  these 
countries  in  the  month  of  March,  as  in  general  this  winter-corn 
is  got  in  during  December  or  January.  We  then  entered  a  for- 
est, and,  following  a  winding  path,  reached  the  rather  consider- 
able village  of  ^luke,  which  belongs  to  Logon,  but  is  inhabited 
chiefly  by  Kanuri.  Here  I  pitched  my  tent  in  the  market- 
place, and  was  not  a  little  pestered  by  numbers  of  inquisitive 
people. 

Saturday^  March  \?>th.  The  country  through  which  we  pass- 
ed as  we  drew  nearer  the  capital  of  Logon  was  of  a  rich  and 
fertile  character,  but  insufficiently  cultivated.  Besides  grain, 
there  was  a  great  deal  of  cotton,  and  numbers  of  trees  of  various 
species  gave  it  a  charming  appearance,  the  beautifully  rich  foli- 
age of  several  of  them  relieving  entirely  the  monotony  which  is 
usual  in  these  Central  African  forests.  Among  the  underwood 
the  dum-bush  was  predominant ;  gradually,  however,  the  "  ha- 


442 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


•  ras''  or  "  karage"-trce  began  to  prevail.  The  pods  of  this  tree, 
which  contain  the  seeds,  are  not  only  much  liked  by  camels, 
but  also  by  monkeys  and  hogs,  both  of  which  seemed  to  be  very 
numerous,  and  lived  together  in  the  greatest  harmony.  Numer- 
ous holes  of  the  eaitliAiog  [Orycte^vpus  ^Y/iiqpiensis)  were.  like- 
wise to  be  seen. 

We  met  a  number  of  native  travelers  and  people  going  to 
market,  who  saluted  us  in  a  cheerful  manner,  and  bore  testimo- 
ny to  the  fact  that  we  were  drawing  near  a  larger  place ;  and 
the  neighborhood  of  the  town  was  still  further  indicated  by 
women  who  had  come  out  to  gather  wood  for  the  supply  of  the 
market.  Here  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to  see  again  my  noble 
old  acquaintance  of  the  Musgu  country,  the  deleb-palm  or 
"  uray."  At  first  a  single  specimen  appeared  towering  with  its 
proud,  fan-like  foliage  over  the  numerous  karage-trees  that  still 
continued  to  retain  their  predominant  position  in  the  vegetable 
kingdom ;  but  when  the  clayey  soil  gave  way  to  sand,  a  large 
group  met  the  eye,  in  close  array  and  full  of  fruit.  It  was,  how- 
ever, entirely  limited  to  this  locality,  and  I  did  not  meet  anoth- 
er specimen  between  this  place  and  the  town. 

When  we  arrived  in  sight  of  the  wall,  my  horseman  changed 
his  dress,  and  put  on  a  new,  glittering  black  Nupe  tobe,  in  order 
to  make  his  entrance  with  greater  eclai,  while  I  was  not  a  little 
pleased  to  meet  again  here  some  traveling  companions  of  mine, 
in  whose  company  I  had  crossed  the  Benuwe  on  my  journey  to 
A^damawa,  and  who  were  once  more  on  their  way  to  the  east. 
We  then  entered  the  capital  of  Logon — Logon  Birni,  or  Karnak 
Loggon,  as  it  is  called  by  the  Shuwa,  or  Karnak  Logone  or  Log- 
gene,  as  it  is  called  by  the  Kaniiri.  The  town  on  this  side  (the 
northwestern)  has  only  one  gate  ;  and  it  was  so  narrow  that  we 
were  obliged  to  unload  the  camel  before  we  were  able  to  pass 
through.  The  energy  and  activity  of  this  place  is  naturally  con- 
centrated on  the  eastern  side  toward  the  river,  where  it  has  sev- 
en gates. 

The  interior  of  the  town,  where  we  entered  it,  had  not  a  very 
animated  ajppearance.  The  cottages,  belonging  evidently  to  the 
poorer  classes  of  people,  are  in  a  wretched  condition,  and  the 


/ 


RECEPTION  m  THE  KA'RNAK. 


443 


only  animation  wliicli  the  scenery  presented  was  due  to  a  group 
of  dum-palms,  towering  over  this  poor  quarter  from  tlie  north 
side.  The  character  of  the  place  improved,  however,  as  we 
advanced ;  the  streets  were  tolerably  large,  and  I  was  struck 
with  the  appearance  of  the  principal  street  or  dendal,  w^hich  is 
formed  by  the  palace  of  the  sultan  or  miyara,  toward  the  south, 
and  the  house  of  the  Keghamma  or  Ibalaghwan,  toward  the 
north. 

The  entrance  to  the  palace  of  the  sultan — the  "raana  miya- 
ra" in  the  kelaku  Logon  or  language  of  Logon — is  toward  the 
east,  where  there  is  an  open  square,  shaded  by  a  few  trees ; 
here  I  was  obliged  to  w^ait  a  long  time  on  horseback  while  my 
quarters  were  getting  ready,  for  etiquette  did  not  allow  me  to 
dismount.  The  sun  was  very  powerful,  and  my  situation  not 
exactly  pleasant ;  but  it  afforded  me  some  amusement  to  ob- 
serve the  flights  of  falcons  and  other  birds  who  were  nestling  in 
the  top  of  a  group  of  tall  dum-palms  which  towered  above  the 
walls  of  the  mosque  opposite  the  palace. 

I  had  also  the  pleasure  of  recognizing  an  old  friend  of  Major 
Denhara's,  namely,  Belal,  the  man  who  accompanied  him  as 
well  on  his  expedition  to  the  Shari  as  to  Kanem.  This  man, 
whose  real  name  was  M'adi,  and  who  was  an  extremely  amiable 
and  good-humored  personage,  with  a  disposition  akin  to  the 
character  of  Europeans,  continued  my  friend  during  the  remain- 
der of  my  stay  in  Bornu.  His  errand  here  at  present  was  to 
collect  the  annual  tribute  which  the  ruler  of  the  country  of  Lo- 
gon has  to  pay  to  the  Sheikh  of  Bornu. 

The  quarters  assigned  to  me  were  situated  in  the  upper  story 
of  the  palace  of  the  Ibalaghwan,  which  surprised  me  not  a  little 
by  the  superior  and  even  grand  style  of  its  architecture.  This 
very  spacious  palace  consists  of  a  number  of  wings  inclosing 
small  quadrangular  court-yards,  and  having  an  upper  story  of 
extensive  apartments.  The  only  part  which  did  not  correspond 
with  the  magnificence  of  the  rest  of  the  building  was  the  stair- 
case, which  was  rather  dark  and  inconvenient.  My  own  apart- 
ment was  not  less  than  thirty-five  feet  long  by  fifteen  wide,  and 
as  many  high,  and  received  sufficient  light  from  two  semicircu- 


444 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


lar  windows,  which,  of  course,  had  no  glass,  but  could  be  closed 
by  means  of  a  shutter  of  reed.  The  ceiling  was  gable-shaped, 
rather  a  remarkable  phenomenon  in  these  countries  :  it  was  fill- 
ed out  with  thatchwork. 

But  not  only  were  my  quarters  excellent,  but  the  treatment 
I  received  also  was  hospitable  in  the  extreme,  for  I  had  scarce- 
ly taken  possession  of  my  lodgings  when  a  bowl  of  very  excel- 
lent pudding  made  its  appearance.  The  thievish  propensities 
of  the  people  of  Logon  are  very  remarkable,  and  the  first  inti- 
mation which  I  received  of  it  was  an  oflScial  caution  given  to 
me  to  beware  of  the  slaves  of  my  house. 

Having  recruited  my  strength  a  little,  I  went  with  Kashella 
M'adi  to  pay  my  compliments  to  the  Ibalaghwan  or  Kegham- 
ma.  We  found  him  in  the  apartment  marked  a  in  the  ground- 
plan.  At  first  he  was  invisible,  sitting  behind  his  matting  cur- 
tain, "parpar"  or  "farfar,"  which  the  Hausa  people,  in  humor- 
ous mood,  call  by  the  name  of  "  munafeki"  (the  sinner),  and 
wliich  is  made  of  a  fine  species  of  reed-grass ;  but  he  soon  al- 
lowed me  to  approach  him.  He  was  a  tall,  elderly  man,  of  a 
cheerful  disposition  and  smiling  countenance,  with  nothing  in 
his  behavior  to  intimate  that  he  was  not  a  free-born  man ;  and 
certainly  his  position  was  an  eminent  one,  as  he  was  the  second 
person  in  this  little  kingdom,  and  held  an  office  corresponding 
to  that  of  a  prime  minister  or  vizier.  His  name  is  Herdege. 
Having  made  him  a  small  present  for  himself,  which  was  rath- 
er insignificant,  but  which,  as  it  consisted  of  a  quantity  of  arti- 
cles, seemed  to  satisfy  him,  I  showed  him  the  present  I  intend- 
ed to  make  to  his  master.  Poor  as  I  was  at  the  time,  and  des- 
titute of  means,  I  had  determined  to  give  away  my  Turkish 
trowsers,  of  very  fine  brown  cloth,  which  I  had  scarcely  ever 
worn,  in  order  to  pave  my  way  in  advance ;  for,  besides  this 
article,  I  had  only  some  small  trifles  to  give,  such  as  shawls, 
knives,  scissors,  frankincense,  and  a  few  spices.  The  kegham- 
ma  having  approved  of  my  present,  I  immediately  went  with 
M'adi  Belal  to  pay  my  respects  to  the  sultan,  or  rather  JMiyara 
himself. 

The  palace  of  the  sultan  is  a  very  extensive  building,  sur- 


PALACE  OF  THE  SULTAN. 


445 


'  rounded  by  a  wall  fourteen  feet  in  height,  and  corresponding  to 
the  height  of  t^ie  house  of  the  keghamma. 

The  public  part  of  the  building  consists  of  very  large  court- 
yards, separated  from  each  other  by  covered  apartments.  In 
the  first  court-yard,  marked  a  on  the  ground-plan,  in  a  sort  of 
shed,  the  eunuchs  (or,  as  the  people  of  Logon  say,  the  "bille- 
melagem")  were  assembled.  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  find 
here  two  cannons  of  iron,  certainly  of  not  very  good  workman- 
ship, and  very  old,  but  furnished  with  frames.  Having  waited 
here  some  time,  till  my  arrival  was  announced,  I  proceeded  to 
another  antechamber,  marked  the  whole  of  the  building  locji- 
ing  very  neat  and  orderly.  The  court-yard  probably  meas- 
ured not  less  than  one  hundred  feet  in  length  by  about  thirty 
feet  in  width.  Having  then  traversed  another  antechamber  and 
court-yard  of  about  the  same  dimensions,  we  reached  the  public 
court  of  audience,  furnished  with  a  raised  platform,  on  which 
stood  the  royal  throne,  a  rough  kind  of  seat  covered  with  a  bal- 
dachin of  planks,  and  painted  red.  The  sultan,  however,  at 
present  was  not  here,  but  was  sitting  in  his  private  room,  ^, 
behind  a  matting  curtain,  and  I  was  desired  to  address  him 
without  seeing  him.  I  therefore  paid  him  my  compliments,  ad- 
dressing Kashella  M'adi  in  Kanuri,  and  he  interpreting  what  I 
said  into  the  language  of  the  country.  I  begged  to  inform  the 
Miyara  that  the  Sultan  Ingliz,  who,  during  the  reign  of  the  for- 
mer chief  of  Logon  (the  ]\Iiyara  Sale),  had  sent  Khalilu  (^lajor 
Denliam),  had  now  instructed  me  to  pay  my  respects  to  him. 
He  was  greatly  delighted  at  this  compliment,  and  inquired  re- 
peatedly after  the  health  of  the  sultan  of  the  nasara  Ingliz. 
Having  made  use  of  the  opportunity  afforded  by  the  matting 
of  observing  me  without  being  himself  observed,  and  seeing 
that  I  was  something  like  a  human  being,  and  evidently  of  an 
innoxious  kind,  and  the  present  having  been  carried  into  his 
presence,  he  called  me  inside  his  room,  saluted  me  in  a  very 
friendly  manner,  and  shook  hands  with  me.  He  then  begged 
me  to  explain  to  him  the  presents,  taking  extreme  delight  in 
the  articles  of  English  manufacture,  including  even  the  large 
darning-needles ;  for,  small  and  insignificant  as  these  articles 


446 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


were,  he  had  never  seen  their  like.  He  even  counted  the  nee- 
dles one  by  one,  and  assigned  them  their  respective  owners  in 
the  han'm.  The  principal  favor  which  I  had  to  beg  of  him  was 
to  allow  me  to  navigate  the  river  to  some  distance,  and  having 
granted  my  request,  he  dismissed  me  very  graciously. 

Here  are  ground  plans  of  the  houses  of  the  sultan  and  kegh- 
amma. 


A.  House  of  Sultan, — a.  Great  Court-yard.    h.  Second  Court-yard,  about  100 

feet  long  by  30  wide,  c.  Third  Court-yard.  d.  Inner  Court-yard,  with 
shed  and  throne,    e.  Room  of  Sultan,  f.  Stabling. 

B.  House  of  Keghamma. — 1.  Large  Court,    2.  Staircase  leading  to  the  upper 

apartments.  3,  Court-yard,  4.  Second  Court-yard.  5.  Room  of  Kegham- 
ma, with  two  couches,  that  in  the  background  being  raised  above  the  floor. 

6.  Shed  built  of  mats  and  poles  in  front  of  the  palace. 

7.  Caoutchouc-tree. 

8.  Mosque  or  "  Dabaldema,"  shaded  by  some  fan-palms,  or,  as  the  people  of  Lo- 

gon say,  "  guriiru." 

.Yusuf,  or,  as  the  people  of  Logon  say,  Y^suf  (this  is  the  name 
of  the  present  sultan),  is  a  tall,  stout,  and  well-built  man,  appar- 


THE  SULTAN  Y'SLT. 


447 


ently  about  forty  years  of  age,  with  large  features  and  a  rather 
melancholy  expression  of  countenance,  which  I  attribute  to  his 
peculiar  and  precarious  political  situation,  being  the  ruler  of  a 
small  kingdom  placed  between  two  predominant  neighbors,  who 
harass  hira  incessantly.  He  has  been  sultan  about  nineteen 
years,  and  was  a  young  man  at  the  time  of  Denham's  visit, 
when  his  father  Sale  and  his  elder  brother  '  Abd  el  Kerim  shared 
or  rather  disputed  the  government  with  each  other.  He  had 
two  more  elder  brothers  of  the  names  of  Chiroma  and  Marufi, 
both  of  whom  died  before  him.  Just  at  or  shortly  before  the 
beginning  of  his  reign,  as  it  would  seem,  owing  to  an  expedition 
into  the  country  by  Daud,  one  of  the  war-slaves  of  the  sheikh 
Mohammed  el  Kanemi,  Logon  became  a  tributary  province  of 
Bornu,  being  subjected  to  an  annual  tribute  of  one  hundred 
slaves,  and  the  same  number  of  shirts  or  tobes.  Previous  to 
that  time,  the  ruler  of  this  little  country  is  said  to  have  made  an 
annual  present  of  only  two  slaves. 

Our  treatment  was  hospitable  in  the  extreme,  and  it  seemed 
almost  as  if  our  host  had  a  mind  to  kill  us  with  excess  of  kind- 
ness, for  in  the  evening  he  sent  us  four  enormous  bowls  of  well- 
prepared  pudding  of  sorghum,  together  with  meat  and  broth, 
and  early  the  next  morning  a  large  bowl  of  gruel  seasoned  with 
honey,  and  a  few  moments  afterward  three  or  four  bowls  of 
hasty-pudding.  Fortunately,  there  were  people  enough  to  con- 
sume this  plenteous  supply  of  food  ;  for  there  was  a  large  party 
of  Bagirmi  people  returning  to  their  country  from  Kukawa,  and 
to  them  I  gave  up  these  luxuries,  but  afterward  they  repaid 
my  kindness  with  ingratitude.  Being  desirous  of  having  a  look 
at  the  town,  I  sallied  forth  in  the  afternoon  with  a  well-mounted 
trooper,  who  was  attached  to  my  friend  Kashella  M'adi,  by  the 
western  gate,  and  then  turning  round  toward  the  east,  proceed- 
ed in  the  direction  of  the  river. 

At  this  corner  the  river  bends  away  from  the  wall  to  the  dis- 
tance of  about  an  English  mile,  being  from  350  to  400  yards 
across ;  the  western  shore  was  low  at  this  poiijt,  but  on  the  op- 
posite side  it  rose  to  the  height  of  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet.  It 
was  enlivened  by  about  forty  or  fifty  boats,  most  of  them  about 


448 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


four  feet  at  the  bottom  and  six  feet  at  the  top,  and  remarkable 
for  their  formidable  prows.  All  these  boats  are  built  in  the 
same  way  as  tliose  of  the  Budduma,  with  this  exception,  that 
the  planks  consist  of  stronger  wood,  mostly  birgim,  and  are 
generally  of  larger  size,  while  those  of  the  Budduma  consist  of 
the  frailest  material,  viz.,  the  wood  of  the  fogo.  The  joints  of 
the  planks  are  provided  with  holes  through  which  ropes  are 
passed,  overlaid  with  bands  of  reed,  and  are  tightly  fastened 
upon  them  by  smaller  ropes,  which  are  again  passed  through 
small  holes  stuffed  with  grass.  Their  elevated  prow  seems  to 
indicate  the  shallowness  of  the  water  as  well  as  the  vehemence 
of  the  current  which,  in  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  sweeps  down 
the  river,  and  which  I  experienced  on  my  return  when  it  was 
full.  At  present  the  water  was  rather  shallow,  and  several  sand- 
banks were  to  be  seen.  My  principal  attention  was  attracted 
by  the  fishing-boats,  which  were  furnished  with  large  nets  sus- 
pended from  the  poop  by  two  immensely  long  poles,  called  "the 
two  hands,"  "musko  ndi,"  by  the  Kanuri  people,  and  "semi" 
by  the  people  of  Logon. 

We  then  continued  along  the  shore,  which  becomes  gradually 
more  and  more  compressed  between  the  wall  and  the  river. 
Where  the  latter  approaches  nearest  the  wall  there  are  corn- 
fields, which  are  continually  imgated  from  the  river.  The 
stalks  of  the  corn  at  present  were  one  and  a  half  feet  high.  As 
I  have  observed  in  another  place,  wheat  has  only  recently  been 
introduced  into  Negroland,  and  wherever  a  little  is  grown  it  is 
only  known  by  the  Arabic  name  "el  kameh."  The  generality 
of  the  inhabitants  do  not  relish  it,  but  it  is  esteemed  a  princely 
food.  Of  course,  corn  is  also  dearer  where  it  does  not  grow 
spontaneously,  the  tropical  rains  being  too  powerful  for  the  ten- 
der plant,  so  that  it  can  only  be  grown  in  the  dry  or  rather  the 
cold  season,  near  the  rivers  or  swamps,  by  artificial  irrigation. 

Delighted  with  the  view  which  the  scenery  of  the  river  exhib- 
ited, w^e  reached  the  most  eastern  gate  on  the  south  side  of  the 
town,  when  suddenly  an  old  man  with  an  imperious  air  forbade 
me  to  survey  the  river,  and  ordered  me  to  retrace  my  steps  di- 
rectly.   I  was  rather  startled  and  confounded,  as,  having  the 


THE  WATER-KING. 


449 


permission  of  the  sultan,  I  could  not  imagine  who  besides  him- 
self had  such  authority  in  the  place,  and  could  forbid  me  to  do 
what  he  had  allowed  me ;  but  my  companion  informed  me  that 
he  was  the  king  of  the  waters,  the  "  maralegha,"  and  that  he 
had  full  command  over  the  river  or  ''lagham."  I  had  heard 
and  read  a  great  deal  of  the  authority  of  the  king  of  the  wa- 
ters, the  **  serki-n-ruwa,"  in  the  countries  on  the  Niger,  but 
I  was  not  aware  that  a  similar  custom  prevailed  here.  Con- 
fused and  rather  ashamed,  I  re-entered  the  town  through  the 
next  gate. 

Close  to  this  gate  was  the  house  of  the  Ghaladima,  or  Ma- 
lagliwan,  and  I  was  induced  to  pay  him  a  visit.  He  seemed  to 
be  rather  an  effeminate  person,  living  in  a  dark  and  well-per- 
fumed room.  The  visit  was  of  no  other  interest  than  that  it 
gave  me  some  further  insight  into  the  ceremonial  of  the  court 
of  this  little  kingdom,  the  very  existence  of  which  was  denied 
by  so  eminent  a  man  as  M.  Fresnel  a  few  years  ago.* 

The  first  thing  I  did  on  returning  to  my  quarters  was  to  ex- 
postulate with  the  keghamma  on  the  authority  exercised  by  hi? 
colleague,  the  king  of  the  waters,  and  he  promised  me  that  the 
next  day  I  should  visit  the  river,  and  even  navigate  it  without 
the  least  hinderance.  However,  there  was  so  much  talk  in  the 
town  about  my  surveying  the  stream,  that  I  was  obliged  in  the 
course  of  the  afternoon  to  pay  the  vizier  another  visit.  He  was 
very  anxious  to  know  whether,  if  once  embarked  in  a  boat  upon 
the  water,  I  might  not  jump  out  in  order  to  search  for  gold, 
when  I  told  him  I  was  rather  afraid  of  the  crocodiles.  This 
expression  of  my  fear  contributed  a  great  deal  to  alleviate  his 
suspicions,  for  it  seemed  that  until  then  he  had  supposed  Eu- 
ropeans to  be  a  sort  of  supernatural  beings,  and  exempt  from 
every  kind  of  fear. 

Our  treatment  was  hospitable  in  the  extreme — so  much  so 
that  two  hundred  persons  might  have  feasted  upon  the  dishes 
that  were  sent  to  me.  But,  besides  all  these  dishes  of  native 
food,  my  hospitable  host  sent  for  my  own  private  consumption 

*  Bulletin  de  la  Societe  de  Geofrr.  de  Paris,  s.  iii.,  vol.  xi.,  p.  20;  vol.  xiv., 
p.  159. 

Vol.  IL— F  f 


450 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


a  large  fat  sheep  and  an  enormous  jar  of  milk.  This  very  splen- 
did treatment,  however,  created  a  great  deal  of  jealous  and  en- 
vious feeling  in  the  breasts  of  those  Bagirmi  people  whom  I 
have  before  mentioned,  although  they  themselves  reaped  the 
greatest  benefit  from  the  liberality  of  the  sultan  toward  me. 
From  what  I  observed,  I  think  I  may  draw  the  conclusion  that 
it  is  the  general  policy  of  the  ruler  of  this  little  tributary  king- 
dom to  treat  his  guests  well,  and  certainly  it  is  a  wise  one ;  but 
I  dare  say  I  was  especially  favored  by  the  sultan. 

March  16th.  With  extreme  delight  I  had  cherished  the  plan 
of  navigating  the  river,  although,  of  course,  from  the  very  be- 
ginning I  could  not  expect  to  achieve  great  things,  for  the  means 
\yhich  were  at  my  disposal  at  the  time  did  not  allow  me  to  over- 
come any  serious  obstacles  Avhich  might  be  thrown  in  my  way  ; 
but,  besides  this,  the  authority  of  this  little  prince  of  Logon  ex- 
tends only  a  short  distance  along  the  shores  of  the  river. 

At  eight  o'clock  I  was  aboard  of  my  little  boat  or  "  wbam."* 
I  thought  that  I  should  have  got  one  of  the  largest  size,  but 
none  was  to  be  obtained.  The  boat,  however,  which  was  finally 
assigned  to  me,  though  measuring  only  twenty -five  feet  in 
length  by  about  four  feet  in  the  middle,  was  tolerably  strong, 
the  planks  of  which  it  consisted  being  recently  sewn  and  stuffed 
in  the  w^ay  above  described  ;  but,  of  course,  this  method  of  ship- 
building is  far  from  rendering  the  vessel  water-tight.  The  boats 
being  without  seats,  large  bundles  of  reeds  are  placed  at  the  bot- 
tom for  the  passengers  to  sit  upon,  with  nothing  to  prevent  them 
from  being  drenched  with  water. 

While  we  crossed  to  the  other  side  of  the  river,  passing  nu- 
merous sand-banks,  which  at  present  had  been  laid  bare,  the 
town  presented  quite  an  interesting  prospect,  the  wall  being- 
overtopped  by  dum-palms  or  "gururu,"  a  pair  of  deleb-palms, 
"murgum,"'  and  an  isolated  date-tree,  "diffino,"t  these  three 

*  This  word  is  only  another  form  of  the  name  which  the  Yedina  give  to  the 
boat,  viz.,  "pum." 

t  It  is  very  remarkable  and  interesting  that  the  date-palm,  in  all  these  coun- 
tries as  far  as  Bagirmi,  goes  by  the  Hausa  name  "  debmo,"  from  which  circum- 
stance it  is  plain  that  it  was  first  introduced  into  that  part  of  Negroland.  Even 
the  Fulbe  of  Sokoto  have  no  other  name  for  it,  while  those  of  A'dam.awa  call  it 


REEDS.— THE  SHA1?I'. 


451 


species  of  palms  growing  together  in  this  place  in  a  very  remark- 
able manner ;  for  it  is  a  rare  thing  to  find  them  in  one  and  the 
same  spot. 

The  river,  while  skirting  the  town,  forms  a  bend,  and  changes 
its  course  from  a  northeasterly  to  a  northerly  direction.  While 
gliding  along  the  eastern  shore  my  companions  called  my  atten- 
tion to  a  species  of  very  tall  reed,  which  they  call  korokoro,  but 
which  is  nothing  else  than  the  papyrus,  which,  as  I  have  ob- 
served, grows  on  the  shores  of  the  Tsad,  and  which  we  shall 
find  in  several  smaller  lakes.  But  it  was  highly  interesting  to 
me  to  hear  that  the  natives  in  this  country  prepare  a  peculiar 
sort  of  cloth  or  "gabaga"  from  it,  which  I  think  must  be  iden- 
tical with  the  cloth  mentioned  by  Arab  writers  under  the  name 
"  worzi"  or  "  berdi,"  being  the  Egyptian  name  for  papyrus. 
However,  I  did  not  observe  here  several  other  species  of  the 
reed  which  grows  on  the  Tsad,  principally  the  bole  ;  and  on  in- 
quiring for  that  beautiful  variety  from  which  the  fine  matting, 
*'kasar"  or  "farfar,"  is  made,  and  for  which  the  people  of  Lo- 
gon are  so  celebrated,  I  was  informed  by  my  companions  that 
it  only  glows  near  the  large  market-town  Jinna,  of  which  I  shall 
have  occasion  to  say  something  more  fixrther  on.  I  was  very 
anxious  to  know  how  the  natives  called  this  river,  to  which,  by 
Major  Denham,  the  name  of  Shari  or  Shary  has  been  given,  and 
I  was  confirmed  in  the  opinion  which  I  liad  previously  formed 
that  this  river  is  not  the  Shari,  but  a  small  branch  of  it ;  Ma- 
jor Denham,  during  the  short  stay  which  he  made  here,  not  be- 
ing able  to  ascertain  that  this  river,  which  he  saw  at  the  town 
of  Logon,  was  not  the  same  as  that  which  he  saw  at  Kusuri, 
but  only  a  branch  of  it,  and  the  smaller  one.  However,  all  the 
names  given  to  rivers  by  the  various  tribes  of  Negroland  have 
no  other  signification  than  the  general  one  of  "  water,"  "  river," 
from  the  Avestern  great  "  Ba,"  of  the  Mandingoes  by  the  Lsa  of 
the  Songhay,  EghiiTeu  of  the  Imoshagh,  "  Mayo"  of  the  Fulbe, 
Gulbi  of  the  Hausa,  Kwara  of  the  Yoruba,  Benuwe  of  the  Bat- 
after  the  tree  of  the  native  date,  viz.,  the  addwa  or  Balanites  JEgyptiaca.  But 
the  Songhay  and  Maby  or  Waday  languages  have  quite  independent  names  for 
thi3  palm. 


452 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


ta,  Komaclno-u  of  the  Kanuri,  the  eastern  *'Ba"  of  the  Ba2;irmi, 
the  rittri  of  the  Kuka,  the  Bat-ha  of  the  Arabs  of  Waday. 
Thus  the  name  "  Shari"  also  signifies  nothing  more  than  "the 
river,"  that  is  to  say,  the  river  of  the  Kotoko,  to  whose  language 
this  word  belongs,  and  the  word  "tsade,"  or  rather  "tsadlie,'' 
seems  nothing  but  a  different  pronunciation  of  the  same  name, 
the  original  form  of  which  is  probably  "  sare"  or  "saghe."' 

This  smaller  western  branch  of  the  Shari  the  natives  of  Lo- 
gon call  "Laghame  na  Logone"  —  that  is  to  say,  the  river 

lagham")  of  Logon ;  but  higher  up  it  has  different  names, 
according  to  the  places  which  it  passes  by,  being  called  by  the 
Musgu  people  in  their  own  language  "  E^re"  or  "  Arre,"  a  name 
Avliich  itself  means  nothing  else  but  river ;  while  in  another 
place,  where  I  reached  it  on  my  expedition  to  the  Miisgu  coun- 
try, it  bears  the  peculiar  name  "  Serbewuel,"  I  do  not  know 
exactly  for  what  reason.  Meanwhile  we  were  passing  by  the 
village  Honkel,  which  lies  on  the  western  side  of  the  river,  and 
which,  as  I  shall  soon  have  occasion  to  observe,  was  of  great 
importance  in  the  former  history  of  this  country.  The  river 
changing  its  direction  here,  we  again  approached  the  western 
shore,  and  saw  that  at  least  half  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  had 
come  out  to  see  what  the  Christian  was  doing  on  the  river,  for 
they  could  scarcely  imagine  that  I  had  embarked  for  any  other 
purpose  than  to  search  for  gold.  In  the  midst  of  the  crowd 
some  horsemen  in  a  very  showy  dress  were  observed,  and  I  was 
informed  that  they  were  people  from  A^dishen,  the  Musgu  chief* 
just  arrived  w^ith  a  message  ;  and  I  soon  observed  that  they 
were  priding  themselves  on  a  dress  which  they  had  received  from 
their  oppressors,  on  the  expedition  in  which  I  and  Mr.  Overweg 
accompanied  the  latter. 

Seeing  a  crocodile  raising  its  head  just  above  the  water  close 
to  the  other  side  of  the  river,  I  could  not  resist  firing  at  it,  when 
the  crowd  burst  out  in  loud  cheers  of  acclamation.  Tlie  serv- 
ants of  the  sultan,  however,  who  had  accompanied  me  in  the 
boat,  had  been  for  some  time  uneasy,  and  wished  me  to  return  : 
and  on  reaching  a  beautiful  solitary  deleb-palm,  or  "margum,'" 
as  they  are  called  by  tlie  people  of  Logon,  I  could  no  longer  re- 


BATHING  IN  THE  RIVER. 


453 


sist  the  pleadings  of  my  companions  to  abstain  from  proceeding 
furtlier.  We  had  here  an  extensive  view  over  the  river,  its  prin- 
cipal direction  being  from  south  20°  east.  All  these  large  and 
splendid  streams  with  which  nature  has  endowed  these  regions 
are  now  scarcely  of  any  use  to  the  people  living  on  their  banks, 
and  no  traffic,  except  between  the  nearest  places,  is  kept  up."^ 
A  wide  field  for  improvement  is  here  open  to  the  energy  of  man 
when  these  regions  have  been  brought  under  the  notice  and  the 
influence  of  Europe. 

Turning  our  boat,  we  allowed  it  to  go  along  with  the  current. 
The  surface  of  the  water  was  so  smooth  and  pleasant  that  I  was 
tempted  to  take  a  bath,  and  there  was  a  great  shouting  among 
the  crowd  on  the  shore  when  they  saw  the  white  man  jump  over- 
board ;  but  their  surprise  was  great  when,  after  having  splash- 
ed about  for  some  time  in  the  river,  the  current  of  which  was 
too  strong  for  my  weakened  frame,  they  saw  me  come  out  emp- 
ty-handed, and  they  cried  out  that  they  had  been  cheated,  the 
people  having  told  them  that  I  was  searching  for  gold.  How- 
ever, when  I  disembarked,  the  crowd  of  spectators  was  so  im- 
mense, that  my  companions  could  only  open  me  a  passage  with 
their  wliips ;  and  I  was  really  glad  when  I  again  reached  the 
house  of  the  Keo'liamma  or  Ibalao-hwan. 

This  little  excursion,  however,  cost  me  dear  ;  for  those  peo- 
ple of  Bagirmi  whom  I  have  mentioned  before,  the  principal 
among  whom  was  called  Haj  A'hmed,  seeing  me  creating  such 
an  uproar,  felt  inclined  to  suppose  that,  if  I  should  enter  their 
own  country  in  the  absence  of  the  ruler,  I  might  create  a  dis- 
lurbance  in  the  king-dom.  The  Prince  of  Loo'on,  likewise,  had 
iOrmed  far  too  high  an  idea  of  my  capacity,  and  begged  me  most 
earnestly  to  stay  some  time  with  him,  thinking  that  he  might 
derive  some  profit  .by  making  himself  more  independent  of  his 
neighbors.  Among  other  things,  he  wanted  me  to  fire  off  those 
two  guns  which  I  have  mentioned  before ;  but  their  whole  ap- 
pearance inspired  me  with  too  little  confidence  to  do  so. 

As  it  was,  I  had  a  gTcat  deal  of  trouble  in  persuading  tlie  sul- 

■*  I  liave,  however,  to  observe  that  the  Kuri  sometimes  bring  native  corn  as  far 
as  Biigomnn. 


454 


TRAVELS  IN  AFKICA. 


tan  to  allow  mc  to  pursue  my  journey  eastward;  but  seeing  that 
if  I  were  to  stay  here  a  few  days  longer  I  should  spend  the  lit- 
tle I  had  left,  I  was  firm  in  my  purpose  of  extending  my  dis- 
coveries beyond  my  predecessors,  Major  Denham  having  already 
succeeded  in  reaching  this  place,  although  he  has  only  very  in- 
sufficiently described  it,  and  entirely  failed  in  fixing  its  right 
position.  I  therefore  proceeded  to  take  leave  of  Miyara  Y^suf 
the  next  morning,  when  I  found  him  in  the  court-yard  number- 
ed f  in  the  wood-cut,  which  he  seemed  to  use  as  stables.  His 
whole  stud,  however,  appeared  to  consist  of  only  three  or  four 
horses  of  tolerable  appearance.  He  himself  was  sitting  on  a 
raised  platform  of  clay  (segage),  dressed  very  simply,  and  wear- 
ing a  red  woolen  shawl  round  his  head.  He  was  very  kind  and 
friendly,  and  begged  me  most  urgently  not  to  make  a  long  stay 
in  Bagirmi,  but  to  return  as  soon  as  possible.  Our  conversa- 
tion this  time,  as  well  as  on  the  former  occasion,  was  in  Kanuri, 
which  he  understood  perfectly  well. 

Logon  is,  it  seems,  not  a  national,  but  a  political  name,  al- 
though I  have  not  been  able  to  make  out  its  exact  meaning.* 
The  inhabitants  belong  to  that  great  race  of  the  Masa  whom  I 
liave  mentioned  on  a  former  occasion,  being  the  brethren  of  the 
Musgu,  and  the  kinsmen  of  the  inhabitants  of  Mandara  (the  Ur- 
wandala)  and  the  Kotoko.  Their  political  existence  as  people 
of  Logon  (or,  as  they  call  themselves,  Logode  Logon)  is  quite 
recent, t  and  their  Islam  is  of  still  more  recent  origin.  Their 
country  also,  like  that  of  the  Musgu,  was  formerly  split  into  a 
number  of  small  principalities,  the  chief  of  the  Honkel  being  the 
most  powerful  among  them  till  about  a  century  and  a  half  ago, 
when  Bruwa,  the  predecessor  of  Mi'yara  Masa,  is  said  to  have 
founded  the  town  of  Logon,  and  to  have  removed  the  seat  of  his 
principality  to  the  present  capital  ("birni"  or  "karnak")  of  the 
country.  But  this  ruler,  as  well  as  his  immediate  successors, 
was  a  pagan,  and  probably  at  that  time  there  were  only  a  few 
Mohammedans  in  the  place ;  and  Miyara  Sale,  the  old  prince 

*  I  think  it  has  no  connection  with  the  river  or  lagham,  else  they  could  not 
c  all  it  "laghame  Logone." 

t  The  name  is  not  mentioned  in  the  annals  of  Edns  Alawoma. 


CHARACTER  OF  THEIR  RELIGION. 


455 


whom  Denham  visited,  the  father  of  the  present  ruler  Yusuf,  is 
said  to  have  been  the  first  among  the  petty  princes  of  this  coun- 
try who  were  converted  to  Islam.  Others  assert  that  an  older 
king,  Mogha  Jenna,  was  the  first  Moslim  ;  and  this  is  not  at  all 
improbable,  as  the  names  of  some  of  the  kings  who  preceded 
Sale  evidently  show  that  the  influence  of  Islamism,  at  least  the 
outward  appearance,  was  felt  at  a  much  earlier  date. 

With  regard  to  the  order  of  succession  from  Masa  down  to 
Sale,  it  seems  that  Masa  was  succeeded  by  a  prince  of  the  name 
of  U^ngo  Ana-smadu,  who  was  followed  by  U^ngo  Ana-logon, 
the  prince  to  whom,  possibly,  the  present  name  of  the  country 
Logon  is  to  be  referred ;  he  was  succeeded  by  Mogha  'AH,  then 
followed  Mogha  Kader,  and  then  the  predecessor  of  Sale,  name- 
ly. Ma  Salikwa.  Hence,  at  the  yery  utmost,  the  Mohammedan 
religion  is  not  above  sixty  years  old  in  this  country ;  and  many 
of  the  younger  inhabitants  of  the  place  are  well  aware  that  their 
fathers  were  pagans  by  birth,  and  afterward  turned  Mohammed- 
ans. Of  course  their  Islam,  even  at  present,  is  of  a  poor  char- 
acter ;  and  the  whole  knowledge  of  religious  matters  which  they 
possess,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  elevated  persons,  consists 
of  a  few  phrases  which  they  learn  by  heart  without  understand- 
ing their  meaning,  and  the  practice  of  circumcision.  In  the 
country  towns,  however,  even  at  present,  most  of  the  people  arc 
pagans. 

The  inhabitants  of  Logon  fought  repeatedly  with  their  neigh- 
bors and  kindred  of  Mandara,  and  seem  to  have  been  successful 
in  that  direction.  They  are  also  said  to  have  once  destroyed 
the  town  of  Mele,  which  lies  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  River 
Shari,  and  to  have  killed  all  the  male  inhabitants.  The  former 
sultans  of  Bornu  seem  to  have  left  the  people  of  Logon  in  en- 
joyment of  tolerable  tranquillity,  being  content  with  a  small  trib- 
ute which  they  made  them  pay  as  a  mark  of  subjection.  But 
at  present  the  tribute  is  considerable,  considering  the  small  ex- 
tent of  the  country ;  and,  moreover,  the  unfortunate  petty  prince 
of  this  small  kingdom  is  compelled  to  pay  another  tribute  to  tho 
Sultan  of  Bagirmi,  whose  people  harass  him  continually. 

The  name  which  the  people  of  Logon  give  to  their  western 


456 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


neighbors  is  interesting,  as  its  origin  seems  to  go  back  into  a 
remote  age ;  for  they  call  them  Billangare,  or,  rather,  "  bille 
Ngare,"  a  name  which  was  probably  derived  from  Ngaru,  the 
ancient  capital  of  the  Ghaladi,  or  the  western  provinces  of  the 
Bornu  empire,  which  I  have  mentioned  on  a  former  occasion ; 

bille"  means  people  in  general.  As  for  their  eastern  neighbors, 
tlie  Bagirmi  people,  they  call  them  by  the  name  of  ]\l6kkode, 
which  might  seem  to  have  some  connection  with  Makada,  a 
name  often  applied  to  the  country  west  of  Abyssinia,  and  which 
I  think  is  erroneously  stated  to  mean  Christian. 

From  the  southwest  the  Fulbe  or  Fellata  press  heavily  upon 
them  ;  and,  as  we  have  seen  on  the  expedition  to  ]\Iusgu,  the 
clderman  in  the  village  of  AVaze,  which  belongs  to  the  territory 
of  Logon,  is  himself  a  Pullo  or  Fellata. 

The  people  of  Logon,  in  former  times,  seem  to  have  made  fre- 
quent inroads  into  the  country  of  their  neighbors  and  kinsmen, 
the  Musgu,  in  order  to  supply  their  want  of  slaves  ;  but  about 
eight  years  previous  to  my  visit  they  seem  to  have  suffered  so 
severe  a  check  in  that  quarter  as  to  make  them  desist  from  un- 
dertaking any  further  expeditions.  Upon  that  occasion  they  lost 
their  commander-in-chief,  Keghamma  or  Ibalaghwan  Yahia,*  the 
same  who  built  the  really  imposing  palace  where  I  was  lodged. 
This  commander  undertook  the  expedition  into  the  Musgu  coun- 
try, not,  as  usual,  by  land,  but  by  water,  and,  having  gone  on 
shore  near  a  village  called  Gummel,  was  taken  by  surprise,  and, 
together  wdth  the  most  valiant  of  his  companions,  was  slain  by 
the  natives  of  the  country. 

The  government  seems  to  be  a  limited  monarchy,  the  sover- 
eign being  surrounded  by  a  number  of  high  functionaries,  who 
form  the  divan  or  ''taluba,"  identical  with  the  nogona  of  the 
Bornu  people.  The  first  of  these  high  functionaries  is  the  Iba- 
laghwan, next  follows  the  Malaghwan  or  Ghaladima,  then  the 
Mairay,  then  the  ]\Iadam,  the  Mara-legha,  or  king  of  the  water, 
the  Wulanghay  or  Chiroma  (the  claimant  to  the  succession),  the 

*  I  will  here  give  a  list  of  the  Ibalaghwans,  as  far  as  they  came  to  my  knowl- 
edge. I'ba-Gare,  I'ba-Kyari,  I'ba-'Othman,  I'ba-Kader,  I'ba-Abu,  I'ba-A'dem, 
I'ba-S'aide,  I'ba-Yahia,  I'ba-Herdege. 


GOVERNMENT.— FOOD. 


457 


Maraymarba,  the  Maclainatiya,  the  ]\Iadam  ukhsam,  the  Inthawa, 
the  Maghawen  akhtham,  the  Masaghe  akhtham,  and  the  Ma- 
ghale-mute. 

The  territory  of  Logon  is  most  advantageously  situated  near 
the  point  of  junction  of  two  considerable  rivers — tlie  River  of 
Logon,  the  Lagham  or  E''re,  toward  the  west,  and  the  Shari  or 
Ba  toward  the  east ;  and  it  might  be  a  most  happy  little  king- 
dom if  it  were  not  overwhelmed  and  oppressed  by  its  more  pow- 
erful neighbors,  who,  as  we  have  just  seen,  encroach  upon  it  on 
all  sides.  But  while  the  Bornn  people  levy  a  more  regular  trib- 
ute, the  people  of  Bagirmi  seem  to  treat  the  poor  inhabitants  of 
the  districts  nearest  their  borders  with  the  greatest  injustice, 
subjecting  them,  in  a  very  anomalous  manner,  to  all  sorts  of 
contributions.  Nevertheless,  from  the  list  of  the  places  which 
I  shall  subjoin  in  the  Appendix,*  it  will  be  seen  that  the  country 
is  still  tolerably  well  inhabited,  though  certainly  it  can  not  now 
be  said  to  be  in  a  very  flourishing  condition. 

As  for  the  food  of  the  natives,  fish  ("  kiyi"),  in  which  the  riv- 
er is  extremely  rich,  constitutes  a  great  proportion  of  their  live- 
stock ;  but  cattle  ("  ntha"),  as  well  as  sheep  ("  wufu"),  seem  to 
be  extremely  rare,  and  it  has  the  appearance  as  if  their  neigh- 
bors had  deprived  them  entirely  of  this  article  of  wealth  and 
comfort.  The  native  Arabs,  however,  are  tolerably  well  sup- 
plied with  botii.  Poultry  also  seems  not  to  be  very  numer- 
ous ;  but  the  hog  ("  sese")  abounds  in  immense  quantities, 
and  seems  to  be  often  resorted  to  by  the  natives  as  an  article 
of  food.  Besides  sorghum,  or,  as  they  call  it,  "makala,"  and 
millet,  "  viyo"  (the  "fiyo"  of  the  Kotoko  and  Yedina — rice  I 
did  not  observe),  a  great  deal  of  cotton,  "mpataki,"  is  grown 
in  the  country ;  and  weaving  constitutes  one  of  the  principal 
employments  of  the  people.  Indeed,  their  shirts  ("  labu")  are 
of  very  excellent  manufacture ;  but  their  indigo  mogone")  is 
not  very  good,  nor  are  they  expert  in  dyeing.f 

*  Appendix  IV.,  Ko.  II. 

t  The  reader  will  see  that  ray  judgment  in  this  respect  is  very  different  from 
that  which  Denham  passed  on  them  {Travels  mid  Discoveries,  p.  237);  but 
Denham  never  visited  Kano,  and  had  no  standard  for  judging  what  was  good 
and  v.'hat  was  not. 


458 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


In  acldition  to  their  cotton,  which  ought  to  be  cultivated  to 
an  unbounded  extent  in  these  low  and  richly-irrigated  regions, 
the  beautiful  lattice-work  of  cane  before  mentioned,  the  common 
sort  being  called  "  parpar"  or  "farfar,"  while  a  better  kind  is 
called  "  moman,"  constitutes  one  of  their  most  famous  manufac- 
tures ;  their  wooden  bowls  ("dalgwam")  likewise,  and  the 
round  straw  covers  ("  kille"),  are  remarkable ;  for  the  bowls 
are  of  very  good  workmanship,  much  better  than  they  are  seen 
in  Kukawa,  although  they  do  not  attain  to  that  excellency 
which  is  observed  in  the  manufactures  of  Dar-Fur. 

Altogether  the  inhabitants  of  this  country  seem  to  be  a  clev- 
er race,  and  are  in  general  handsomer  than  the  Bornu  people, 
the  women  in  particular.  It  is  remarkable  that  they  use  al- 
most the  same  sort  of  tattooing  as  the  Kanuri,  consisting  of 
sundry  curved  lines  along  the  cheek,  generally  six,  running  from 
the  outer  angle  of  the  eye  down  to  the  mouth  ;  it  is  also  curious 
that  they  have  the  same  word  for  it*  as  the  Kanuri,  although 
their  languages  are  so  entirely  different  in  other  respects. 

My  stay  in  the  country,  of  course,  was  too  short  to  allow  me 
to  speak  more  decidedly  respecting  their  moral  qualities.  The 
currency  of  pieces  of  iron  as  money,  which  Denham  observed  in 
his  time,t  has  long  been  abolished,  and  at  present  the  standard 
money  of  the  place  is  cotton-strips  of  from  two  to  three  inches 
in  width. 

With  regard  to  the  language  of  the  people  of  Logon,  Denham 
has  committed  a  great  mistake  in  supposing  that  it  was  identi- 
cal with  the  language  of  Bagirmi ;  for  though  what  he  heard 
was  really  the  language  of  Bagirmi,  which  is  spoken  to  a  great 
extent  by  the  natives,  yet  their  original  language,  which  is  spo- 
ken exclusively  among  the  people  themselves,  is  quite  distinct, 
being  nearly  related  to  that  of  the  people  of  ]Musgu.  They  call 
their  language  kelaku  Logone.  As  far  as  I  became  acquainted 
with  it,  the  pronunciation  is  very  difficult,  on  account  of  the 
many  aspirated  sounds,  especially  that  of  "kh"  or  "th;"  and 
in  this  respect  it  has  some  resemblance  to  the  English. 

*  The  Kanuri  call  it  "beli,"  the  logode  Logons  "bel." 
t  Denham,  i.,  p.  238. 


THE  TWO  KIVERS. 


461 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

THE  TWO  RIVEES.  ENTRANCE  INTO  BAGlRMI. 

March  \^th.  It  was  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  I  left 
Karnak  Logon  in  order  to  penetrate  into  unknown  regions,  nev- 
er before  trodden  by  European  foot ;  and  a  short  time  afterward 
I  was  sitting  in  the  boat,  while  our  horses,  the  camel,  and  the 
bullock  were  partly  swimming  across  and  partly  fording  the  riv- 
er. Tlie  water  was  in  general  shallow,  though  in  the  deepest 
place  it  measured  eight  feet  and  a  half.  The  current  was  about 
three  miles  an  hour.  The  country  at  that  period  had  a  very 
different  appearance  from  what  it  presented  on  my  return  from 
Bagirmi.  KX  present  all  those  low  grounds,  which  later  in  the 
season  are  entirely  inundated,  had  a  swampy,  cheerless  aspect, 
and  I  hastened  onward  in  order  to  escape  from  the  unhealthy 
locality,  heated  by  the  rays  of  the  midday  sun.  Only  now  and 
then  a  small  patch  of  cotton-ground  was  seen  between  the  tall 
jungle.  Close  to  the  river  there  is  scarcely  a  single  tree ;  but, 
farther  on,  wdiere  the  country  becomes  more  cultivated,  isolated 
karage-trees,  together  with  straggling  groups  of  cottages,  were 
seen  here  and  there.  Not  having  exposed  myself  to  the  midday 
sun  during  the  last  few  days,  and  the  heat  being  very  great,  I 
looked  for  a  place  to  pass  the  hottest  hours  of  the  day,  and,  to 
tlie  disappointment  of  my  companions,  wdio  were  anxious  for  a 
good  dinner,  I  dismounted  under  the  cool  shade  of  a  beautiful 
wide-spreading  fig-tree,  "ngabbere"  or  "zerra,"  as  the  people 
of  Logon  call  it,  at  some  distance  from  a  little  village  called 
Soso,  situated  toward  the  north,  while  on  our  riglit  there  was  a 
water-course  winding  along  through  a  shallow  depression  in  the 
green  me?dow-grounds,  without  any  visible  inclination.  These 
shallow  water-courses  are,  as  I  have  already  had  occasion  to 
mention  on  my  journey  to  Musgu,  one  of  the  most  characteristic 


462 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


leaturcs  in  this  part  of  Central  Africa,  which  formerly  was 
thought  to  be  a  dry,  elevated  waste.  Naked  young  lads  were 
splashing  and  playing  about  in  the  water,  together  with  wild 
hogs,  in  the  greatest  harmony ;  never  in  any  part  of  Negroland 
have  I  seen  this  animal  in  such  numbers  as  here  about  the  Sha- 
ri.  Calves  and  goats  were  pasturing  in  the  fields,  with  wild 
liogs  in  the  midst  of  them. 

When  we  pursued  our  march  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
I  was  greatly  pleased  to  see  numbers  of  fine  horses  round  the 
groups  of  Shuwa  villages  which  bordered  the  water -course, 
while  the  whole  scenery  was  enlivened  by  the  rich  foliage  of 
wide-spreading  trees.  Onions  likewise  were  cultivated  here  in 
considerable  quantities.  On  the  right  of  our  path  were  Yery 
extensive  fields  of  a  peculiar  kind  of  winter-corn,  called  "  safFa- 
ra"  by  the  people  of  Logon,  and  "keriram"  by  the  Kanuri. 
This  belongs  to  the  ruler  of  the  country ;  but,  in  general,  very 
little  grain  is  raised  in  this  part  of  Logon,  the  inhabitants  being 
afraid  of  the  people  of  Bagirmi,  who  used  to  gather  the  harvest 
of  what  they  themselves  have  sown.  But  small  cotton  grounds 
are  occasionally  observed. 

After  a  march  of  about  nine  miles  we  reached  a  place  called 
Bata,  half  deserted,  and  surrounded  by  a  clay  wall  in  a  very  de- 
cayed state.  ^NTevertheless,  the  few  cottages  that  remained,  sim- 
ple and  unpretending  though  they  were,  testified  to  some  de- 
gree of  industry  and  cleanliness.  Of  hospitality,  however,  we 
received  no  proof,  and  the  authority  of  the  ]\Iiyara  Y'suf  seem- 
ed to  be  naught  indeed,  these  poor  people  affirming,  with  some 
show  of  reason,  that  as  the  ruler  did  not  protect  them  against 
the  unjust  exactions  of  their  neighbors,  they  need  not  respect 
his  commands.  There  was,  therefore,  little  necessity  for  the 
servant  of  the  sultan  accompanying  me  any  farther,  for  if  they 
did  not  respect  his  orders  here  they  would  certainly  not  do  so 
farther  on. 

Wednesday^  March  \ltli.  We  continued  our  march  alone. 
On  the  east  side  of  the  town  a  little  cultivation  was  to  be  seen, 
the  country  here  being  very  swampy,  and  inundated  during  the 
rainy  season.    It  is  covered  with  a  dense  jungle,  and  wild  beasts 


THE  REAL  SHA'RI'. 


463 


in  great  numbers.  Water  is  close  under  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  and  the  well  that  we  passed,  near  a  Shiiwa  village,  was 
only  three  fathoms  deep.  Near  the  village  of  Atmarchari,  which 
we  left  on  our  right,  there  were  traces  of  cultivation,  trees  being- 
cut  down  and  the  ground  cleared  to  make  room  for  corn-fields ; 
the  village  is  inhabited  by  Kaniiri  people.  Soon  after,  the  for- 
est became  denser  than  before,  climbing  plants  running  up  the 
trees,  and  hanging  down  in  festoons  from  the  branches.  Here 
it  was  that  I  first  saw  the  footprints  of  the  rhinoceros,  an  animal 
which  is  unheard  of  in  all  the  western  parts  of  Negroland.  The 
people  of  this  part  of  Logon  call  the  animal  "birni,"  the  name 
usual  in  Bagirmi,  while  the  real  name  in  the  language  of  the 
country  is  "ngirme."  The  Kanuri  call  it  "  kargadan"  or  "bar- 
kajan" — the  very  name  mentioned  already  by  El  Edrisi.*  It  is 
greatly  feared  by  the  inhabitants,  who  sometimes  encounter  these 
ferocious  animals  on  the  narrow  footpaths  which  wind  througli 
the  thick  forests  of  their  country. 

I  had  gone  on  a  little  in  advance,  when  suddenly  I  beheld 
through  the  branches  of  the  trees  the  splendid  sheet  of  a  large 
river,  far  larger  than  that  of  Logon.  All  was  silence,  and  the 
pellucid  surface  of  the  water  undisturbed  by  the  slightest  breeze; 
no  vestiges  of  human  or  animal  life  were  to  be  seen,  with  the 
exception  of  two  river-horses  (called  "  niye"  by  the  people  of 
Logon),  which,  having  been  basking  in  the  sun  on  the  shore, 
plunged  into  the  water  at  our  approach.  This,  then,  was  the 
real  Shan',  that  is  to  say,  the  great  river  of  the  Kotoko  (for 
Shari,  as  I  have  said  before,  means  nothing  else  but  river), 
which,  augmented  by  the  smaller  but  very  considerable  River 
of  Logon,  forms  that  large  basin  which  gives  to  this  part  of  Ne- 
groland  its  characteristic  feature.  The  river  at  this  spot  runs 
from  S.  30°  W.  to  N.  30°  E.,  but  its  general  course  is  rather 
winding,  coming  farther  upward  from  the  south,  and  beyond 
forming  a  reach  from  E.  38°  N. 

The  shore  where  I  stood  enjoying  the  tranquil  but  beautiful 
scenery  is  close  approached  by  the  forest,  and  has  an  elevation 


*  Shenf  el  Edn'si,  trad.  Jaubert,  vol.  i.,  p.  72. 


464 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


of  about  fifteen  feet.  No  human  habitation  was  to  be  seen,  witli 
the  exception  of  a  small  village  on  the  other  side.  The  surface 
of  the  water  was  undisturbed,  except  now  and  then  bj  a  fish 
leaping  up ;  no  water-fowl  enlivened  the  banks ;  not  a  single 
boat  was  to  be  seen,  till  at  length  we  observed  the  ferrymen  on 
the  opposite  shore,  where  it  formed  a  flat  and  sandy  beach, 
making  us  a  sign  that  we  were  to  proceed  a  little  higher  up  thf 
river,  in  order  not  to  miss  the  landing-place  when  carried  down 
by  the  current.  We  therefore  went  about  800  yards  further 
up ;  and  I  made  myself  comfortable  under  the  shade  of  a  tree, 
awaiting  the  boat,  and  indulging  in  the  thought  that  I  was  sooii 
to  enter  a  new  country,  never  before  trodden  by  European  foot. 

At  length  the  boat  came,  but  the  ferrymen,  as  soon  as  they 
saw  w^ho  we  were,  behaved  in  a  strange  and  mysterious  manner, 
and  told  us  they  could  not  take  us  across  the  river  before  they 
had  informed  their  master.  However  uncommon  such  a  pre- 
caution seemed  to  be,  I  had  as  yet  no  idea  of  the  real  state  of 
affairs.  We  therefore  sat  down  patiently  to  await  the  answer, 
which  we  thought  a  mere  matter  of  form.  The  atmosphere  was 
very  sultry,  and  the  sky  overcast ;  clouds  were  hanging  over 
the  river  as  forerunners  of  the  rainy  season.  In  order  to  keep 
off  the  deadly  stings  of  the  blood-flies  from  our  horses,  we  made 
a  large  fire.  The  sting  of  this  fly  is  almost  as  fatal  as  that  of 
the  "  tsetse"  in  the  southern  parts  of  this  continent,  and  many 
travelers  lose  all  their  horses  on  the  shore  of  this  river. 

I  was  suddenly  aroused  from  my  tranquil  repose  by  the  ar- 
rival of  a  numerous  troop  of  pilgrims  on  their  way  to  ]\Iekka : 
all  of  them  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  the  Fulbe  or  Fellata,  mostly 
from  the  western  parts  of  Negroland,  and  some  from  Gottoko. 
the  little-known  country  between  Bambara  and  Kong.  Among 
them  were  also  the  people  who  had  accompanied  me  on  my 
journey  to  A^damawa,  and  whom  I  had  again  met  a  second 
time  near  the  town  of  Logon.  I  made  them  a  present  of  nee- 
dles in  order  to  assist  them  in  their  praiseworthy  undertaking. 
While  we  Avere  chatting  together  the  boatmen  returned,  bring- 
ing with  them  the  astounding  answer  that  the  chief  of  the  vil- 
lage, A^su,  would  not  allow  me  to  cross  the  river. 


NOT  ALLOWED  TO  CROSS  THE  RIVER. 


465 


We  could  at  first  scarcely  imagine  what  was  the  reason  of 
this  unforeseen  obstacle,  when  the  boatmen  informed  us  that 
Haj  A^hmed,  the  head  man  of  those  Bagirmi  people  whom  I 
have  mentioned  as  returning  from  Kukawa  to  their  native  coun- 
try, had  assured  them  that  I  was  a  most  dangerous  person,  and 
that  the  Vizier  of  Bornu  himself  had  told  them  there  was  great 
danger  that,  if  I  should  enter  the  country  of  Bagirmi  in  the  ab- 
sence of  the  sultan,  I  might  upset  his  throne  and  ruin  his  king- 
dom. As  there  were  some  of  the  chief  men  of  the  village  in 
the  boat,  we  used  every  means  to  convince  them  of  the  absurd- 
ity of  such  calumnies ;  but  all  was  in  vain,  and  it  became  evi- 
dent that  we  should  certainly  not  be  allowed  to  cross  the  river 
at  this  spot. 

For  a  moment  I  hesitated  whether  I  should  retrace  my  steps 
to  LogoQ  birni,  there  to  await  the  return  of  a  messenger  whom 
I  might  send  to  the  Sultan  of  Bagirmi,  or  whether  I  should  try 
ray  fortune  at  some  other  point  of  the  river.  I  could  not  well 
perceive  from  whence  the  obstacle  proceeded ;  whether  it  was 
really  the  Vizier  of  Bornu  who  was  the  cause  of  these  intrigues, 
as  he  knew  that  it  was  my  earnest  desire,  if  possible,  to  penetrate 
into  Waday ;  .or  whether  it  was  the  Sultan  of  Logon,  who,  by 
compelling  me  in  this  way  to  retrace  my  steps,  might  think  to 
persuade  me  to  stay  longer  in  his  company.  The  Bagirmi  man 
I  had,  as  far  as  I  knew,  never  offended  in  my  life ;  on  the  con- 
trary, in  the  town  of  Logon  I  had  treated  his  whole  troop,*  and 
given,  besides,  some  small  presents  to  himself ;  but  he  might 
liave  been  jealous  of  me,  seeing  that  the  Sultan  of  Logon  hon- 
ored me  in  so  remarkable  a  manner.  He  had  been  to  Kukawa, 
in  order  to  purchase  there  some  articles  of  manufacture  which 
were  not  to  be  had  in  Bagirmi,  and  which  he  hoped  to  sell  to 
advantage  to  the  sultan  of  his  country.  Perhaps  he  thought 
that  I  was  also  a  merchant,  and  might  spoil  his  market.  Con- 
sidering, therefore,  all  these  points,  I  at  length  decided  upon 
trying  to  cross  the  river  at  another  place. 

Having,  in  consequence,  retraced  our  steps  a  little  more  than 
two  miles  along  the  path  we  had  come,  in  order  to  make  the 
people  believe  that  we  were  returning  to  Log6n,  we  turned  off 

Vol.  II.— G  g 


466 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


from  our  track  to  the  northward,  and  winding  along  in  a  north- 
easterly direction,  at  times  through  a  dense  forest,  at  others 
passing  small  villages  or  hamlets,  where  scarcely  any  corn  was 
cultivated,  thougli  cotton  was  grown  to  some  extent,  and  evi- 
dently employed  the  activity  of  the  inhabitants  in  weaving  and 
dyeing,  we  reached  the  larger  village  Bugari.  Here  the  inhab- 
itants, who,  like  those  of  most  of  the  villages  hereabouts,  belong- 
to  the  Kanuri  race,  received  us  with  great  kindness  and  hospi- 
tality, and  without  delay  assigned  us  quarters  in  a  large  court- 
yard. My  companions  told  the  people  that  we  had  missed  the 
direct  road  to  Mele,  and  tried  even  to  pass  me  off  as  a  "  sherif 
but,  unfortunately,  there  was  a  person  who  had  seen  me  at  the 
ferry  of  A^su,  so  that  the  hope  of  crossing  the  river  at  some  oth- 
er place  without  further  obstacle  was  not  very  great. 

Nevertheless,  I  was  resolved  to  try  every  means  in  my  power 
in  order  not  to  miss  the  opportunity  of  exploring  a  new  coun- 
try ;  and  for  a  dora,  or  small  shirt,  I  was  promised  by  the  "bil- 
lama"  of  the  village  a  guide,  who  early  the  next  morning  should 
conduct  me  to  the  ferry  of  Mele. 

Thursday^  March  ISth.  Before  daybreak  we  began  our 
stealthy  enterprise,  and  entered  the  woods,  led  on  by  a  tall, 
well-made,  muscular,  and  half-naked  lad,  well  armed  with  bow 
and  battle-axe.  Passing  through  a  district  where,  besides  cot- 
ton, a  great  deal  of  native  corn  was  cultivated,  all  belonging  to 
the  inhabitants  of  the  village  where  we  had  passed  the  night, 
and  following  our  narrow,  unbeaten  footpath,  we  at  length 
emerged  upon  the  direct,  well-trodden  track  which  leads  straight 
from  Logon  to  Mele,  although  it  is  very  winding.  At  first  un- 
derwood was  greatly  intermixed  with  dum-bush  or  ngille ;  but 
after  a  while  the  aspect  of  the  country  suddenly  changed,  the 
lower  ground  on  our  left  expanding  in  fine  meadow-lands  inter- 
spersed with  pools  of  stagnant  water,  the  deposit  of  the  last 
year's  inundation,  while  on  our  right  we  had  the  site  of  a  for- 
mer town,  called  Yesineki,  densely  overgrown  with  forest. 

Here  we  came  again  in  sight  of  that  fine  river  which  forms 
the  western  boundary  of  the  kingdom  of  Bagirmi,  and  whicli 
intriguing  men  wished  to  prevent  me  from  crossing.    The  slope 


THE  SHA'Rr  AT  ME'LE'. 


469 


of  the  bank  is  here  broken,  forming  a  small  terrace  before  it  de- 
.scends  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  the  upper  slope  being  at  pres- 
ent covered  with  a  green  turf,  while  the  lower  one,  which  rose 
fifteen  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  river,  consists  of  loose  sand. 
Here  again  we  disturbed  some  crocodiles  which  had  been  quiet- 
ly basking  in  the  sun,  and  lost  no  time  in  making  signs  to  the 
ferrymen  opposite  that  we  wished  to  cross,  while  I  hastened  to 
the  rear  of  the  rushes  growing  on  the  shore  to  make  a  slight 
sketch  of  the  interesting  scenery  of  the  river,  with  the  village 
on  the  other  side.  We  were  delighted  when,  after  a  short  de- 
lay, we  saw  a  boat  leaving  the  village,  going  round  the  sand- 
bank which  stretched  out  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  and  coming 
toward  us.  All  our  success  now  depended  on  a  few  minutes  ; 
and  as  soon  as  the  ferrymen  touched  the  shore,  we  satisfied 
their  claims  and  entered  the  boat,  which  was  large  and  commo- 
dious. 

It  was  with  very  satisfactory  feelings,  although  mingled  with 
some  degree  of  uneasiness,  that  I  found  myself  floating  on  this 
noble  river,  which  was  here  certainly  not  less  than  600  yards 
across.  The  sand-bank  is  a  little  nearer  to  the  eastern  shore, 
and  the  whole  current  ("ngada"  in  Kanuri,  "amma-wa"  in 
Logone)  keeps  along  that  side,  while  on  the  western  shore  the 
river  sweeps  slowly  along,  and  in  general  appears  not  to  be 
very  deep.  In  the  channel,  the  poles  of  the  ferrymen  indicated 
a  depth  of  fifteen  feet.  Our  camel,  horses,  and  bullock  had  to 
cross  the  river  by  swimming  alongside  the  boat,  till  we  reached 
the  northern  end  of  the  sand-bank,  when  they  walked  along  the 
sandy  beach,  the  sand-bank  being  at  present  about  250  yards 
In  length.  The  current  between  the  sand-bank  and  the  easterii 
shore  was  very  strong,  and  the  water  deep,  though  fortunately 
the  distance  was  only  about  200  yards. 

Having  crossed  this  imposing  stream,  we  entered  the  small 
harbor  of  Mele,  and  as  soon  as  we  reached  the  shore  were  saluted 
by  a  "  chiroma,"  or  squirrel,  which,  running  about  freely,  and 
wagging  its  tail,  seemed  to  offer  a  good  omen  for  a  happy  ar- 
rival in  this  country.  The  inhabitants  also,  who  were  employed 
in  various  ways  at  a  small  wharf  used  for  building  the  commor. 


470 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


craft  of  the  river,  received  us  in  a  friendly  way,  more  especially 
as  I  made  a  small  present  to  a  sort  of  official  personage  who  has 
the  title  of  "  Kashella,"  and  added  a  few  needles  in  addition  to 
the  fare  paid  to  the  boatmen.  I  was  agreeably  struck  by  the 
fine  figures  of  the  females,  their  comely  appearance  and  very 
becoming  head-dress  distinguishing  them  most  advantageously 
not  only  from  the  Kanuri,  but  even  from  the  people  of  Logon. 

Having  here  spent  a  few  minutes  reloading  our  camel  and 
exchanging  compliments,  we  hastened  on,  ascending  the  higher 
bank,  which  here  rises  to  about  twenty-five  feet,  and  leaving  the 
village  to  the  left,  close  to  the  steep  slope  overhanging  the  river. 
But  we  had  only  proceeded  about  a  mile,  delighted  at  the  idea 
that,  notwithstanding  the  obstacles  thrown  in  our  way,  we  had 
succeeded  in  entering  this  country,  when  we  saw  a  person  ad- 
vancing toward  us  whom  my  horseman  recognized  as  a  servant 
of  the  chief  of  A^su.  This  incident  could  not  but  fail  to  lessen 
our  hopes  of  success  considerably.  Had  the  chief  of  A^su  been 
more  careful  in  discharging  his  duty,  and  sent  a  messenger  the 
evening  before,  or  early  the  same  morning,  I  should  never  have 
entered  Bagirmi. 

As  it  was,  having  allowed  the  man  to  proceed  on  his  mis- 
chievous errand,  we  consulted  together  a  moment,  and  thought 
it  best  to  leave  the  path,  and  strike  across  into  the  stubble- 
fields  ;  for  there  is  much  cultivated  ground  belonging  to  Mele, 
which,  although  lying  close  to  the  river,  is  more  of  a  farming 
than  a  fishing  village.  New  ground  was  being  cleared.  Trees 
were  being  cut  down,  nothing  but  the  trunks  being  left,  in  order 
to  protect  the  dresses  of  the  laborers  from  the  ants.  The  whole 
country  was  well  cultivated,  and,  being  shaded  by  numerous 
trees,  presented  a  very  interesting  appearance.  After  about 
half  an  hour's  march  across  the  stubble-fields,  without  any  di- 
rect track,  we  reached  a  well-trodden  path  coming  from  Klesem, 
a  considerable  village  lying  lower  down  the  river,  and  still  be- 
longing to  Kotoko,  with  a  peculiar  idiom  of  its  own.  Follow- 
ing then  this  track,  we  reached  a  shallow  water-course  of  the 
same  nature  as  those  mentioned  on  former  occasions.  The  Ba- 
girmi people  call  them  "kamane"  or  "guguli."'    It  was  enli- 


THE  AMUBS'ADA. 


471 


vened  by  a  settlement  of  Sliuwa  cattle-breeders  of  the  tribe  of 
the  'Agaife,  and  stretched  out  in  great  length  from  S.S.W.  to 
N.N.E.,  forming  a  very  peculiar  feature  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try; it  is  called  "Ambusada"  or  Mbusada.  Where  we  crossed 
it  the  water  was  only  a  foot  deep,  the  whole  of  the  bottom  of 
the  shallow  bed  being  covered  with  the  richest  verdure. 

We  then  kept  close  along  its  eastern  side,  having  a  rising 
ground  on  our  left,  with  a  most  splendid  border  of  beautiful 
trees,  chiefly  of  the  fig  kind.  It  was  a  scenery  which  reminded 
me  of  the  Musgu  country,  with  this  exception,  that  the  water- 
course was  not  so  broad,  and  the  rich  foliage  of  the  trees  was 
not  occasionally  broken  and  diversified  by  the  deldb-palm.  An 
almost  uninterrupted  line  of  hamlets  skirted  this  narrow  strip 
of  verdant  fertility,  and  now  and  then  groups  of  people  were 
seen  issuing  from  the  thick  foliage,  while  numerous  herds  of 
cattle  were  spread  over  the  green,  swampy  meadow-lands,  some 
half  immersed  in  the  water,  and  nipping  off  the  fresh  shoots  of 
the  young  grass,  while  others  were  roaming  about  on  the  dry 
herbage  near  the  border.  Among  the  cattle,  birds  of  the  most 
beautiful  plumage,  and  of  every  description  and  size,  were  sport- 
ing and  playing  about :  there  was  the  gigantic  pelican  dashing- 
down  occasionally  from  some  neighboring  tree ;  the  maraboo 
{Ciconia  M.),  standing  like  an  old  man,  its  head  between  its 
shoulders;  the  large-sized,  azure-feathered  "dedegami,"  strut- 
ting proudly  along  after  its  prey,  the  plotus,  with  its  long,  snake- 
like neck ;  the  white  ibis,  eagerly  searching  for  its  food,  with 
various  species  of  ducks  (geddegabii  or  "daba"),  and  numerous 
other  lesser  birds  in  larger  or  smaller  flights.  Now  and  then  a 
wild  hog  suddenly  started  forth  from  the  covert  of  the  forest, 
accompanied  by  a  litter  of  young  ones,  and  plunged  eagerly  into 
the  water.  There  yvas  here  a  rich  and  inexhaustible  field  for 
the  sportsman ;  but  I  could  not  think  of  sport,  for  I  was  con- 
scious that  something  was  going  on  to  stop  my  progress. 

Perhaps  it  would  have  been  more  prudent  to  have  gone  on 
without  stopping ;  but  I  felt  the  heat  of  the  sun  very  much, 
and,  seeing  that  I  could  not  traverse  the  country  by  force,  pre- 
ferred resting  during  the  heat  of  the  day  under  the  shade  of  a 


472 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


fine,  wide-spreading  ngabbore  or  ngato  (fig-tree)  at  the  side  of  a 
Sliuwa  village.  I  here  endeavored  in  vain  to  barter  a  few  things 
with  the  inhabitants ;  but,  to  my  great  astonishment,  neither 
milk  nor  any  thing  else  was  to  be  had,  though  cattle  were  seen 
grazing  in  every  direction.  But  the  people  told  me  that  the 
great  number  of  cattle  collected  together  on  so  narrow  a  slip  of 
pasture-ground  was  the  very  reason  they  had  so  little  milk. 
These  Shuwa  people,  who  belong  to  the  tribe  of  the  Welad  'AH, 
call  this  shallow  water  Msel  el  Haj  'AH,  after  the  name  of  their 
principal  chief. 

I  was  quietly  reclining  in  the  cool  shade,  although  not  with- 
out some  sad  forebodings,  when  the  head  man  of  Mele,  accom- 
panied by  seven  or  eight  armed  Shuwa,  was  seen  approaching. 
They  first  addressed  themselves  to  my  horseman  Grema,  who 
had  made  himself  comfortable  in  the  shade  of  another  tree  a 
short  distance  off.  Having  finished  their  business  with  him, 
they  came  to  me,  protesting  that  they  could  not  allow  me  to  con- 
tinue my  journey,  as  they  were  compelled  to  wait  for  an  order 
from  the  capital,  when  I  did  not  hesitate  to  declare  on  my  part 
that  I  was  willing  to  wait  any  reasonable  time  on  condition  of 
their  assigning  me  a  residence,  and  the  means  of  supplying  my 
wants.  They  expressed  their  satisfaction  at  my  compliance, 
telling  me  that,  in  case  of  my  refusal,  they  would  have  sent  all 
the  Shuwa  in  the  neighborhood  to  harass  me  on  the  road.  The 
head  man  of  Mele  then  promised  me  that,  if  I  would  return  to 
his  village,  he  would  take  care  that  I  should  be  supplied  with 
every  thing  I  wanted,  particularly  fowls  and  milk. 

I  therefore  allowed  Grema  to  proceed  alone,  in  order  to  take 
my  letters  to  the  capital,  while  I  slowly  retraced  my  steps.  An 
hour  and  a  half's  march  along  a  more  direct  path  brought  me 
back  to  the  village  where  I  had  first  entered  this  country. 

The  position  of  Mele  is  not  without  interest,  situated  as  it  is 
upon  a  steep  bank  overhanging  a  large  and  beautiful  navigable 
river,  which  here  changes  its  course  from  a  westeasterly  to  a 
southnortherly  direction  ;  and  here  I  might  have  indulged  a  few 
days  in  contemplating  the  interesting  scenery,  if  my  future  prog- 
ress had  allowed  me  more  tranquillity.    As  it  was,  the  six  o? 


RESIDENCE  AT  MEXE'. 


473 


seven  days  I  passed  here  were  spent  in  rather  a  dull  manner  : 
for  the  inhabitants  became  very  suspicious  when  they  observed 
that  my  favorite  place  was  the  shade  of  a  fine  tree  at  the  very 
brink  of  the  shore,  from  whence  I  had  a  view  over  the  river  to 
a  great  extent  north  and  west.  Of  course,  there  was  but  little 
communication,  and  very  rarely  a  boat  was  seen  proceeding  in 
either  direction.  Now  and  then  the  sand-bank  became  enliven- 
ed by  a  crocodile  coming  out  of  the  water  to  bask  in  the  sun, 
or  by  the  frolics  of  the  boys  of  the  village,  who  occasionally 
crossed  over  to  look  after  their  fishing-tackle,  or  dry  their  nets. 
Both  fish  as  well  as  crocodiles  are  extremely  plentiful  in  the 
river,  and  the  meat  of  the  latter  forms  a  great  delicacy  to  the 
natives.  But  there  is  also  in  this  river  a  very  large  animaL 
which,  I  think,  must  be  identical  with  the  ayu  of  the  Benuw< 
and  Niger — the  Manatiis  Yogelii.^' 

To  the  northeast  the  village  was  bordered  by  thick  forest, 
which  at  a  little  distance  was  traversed  by  the  lower  course  of 
the  Ambusada,  which  was  here  extremely  rich  in  verdure,  and 
full  of  the  favorite  haunts  of  the  hog.  I  here,  also,  observed  a 
considerable  number  of  monkeys.  It  was  during  my  residence 
in  this  place,  likewise,  that  I  first  obtained  a  clear  knowledge 
of  the  nature  of  the  Shari,  and  its  relation  with  that  of  Logon, 
the  point  of  junction  of  the  two  rivers  being  a  little  below 
Kusuri,  at  a  place  called  Sifia  Facha,  while  I  obtained  a  great 
deal  of  information — certainly  not  quite  clear  and  distinct — of 
the  towns  and  principalities  on  the  upper  courses  of  these  rivers. 
I  also  learned  that  last  year  the  river  had  overflowed  its  banks, 
and  entered  the  very  huts  of  the  natives.  Nevertheless,  at  thi.- 
spot  the  banks  were  at  present  more  than  forty  feet  high. 

As  for  the  name  of  the  river,  the  name  which  is  generally 
given  to  it,  viz.,  Shary  or  Shari,  belongs,  as  I  have  mentioned 
on  a  former  occasion,  to  the  language  of  the  Kotoko.  The  Ba- 
girmi  people  call  it  only  Ba,  distinguishing  it  in  the  various 
parts  of  its  course  by  the  names  of  the  different  villages  which 

*  I  think  it  is  this  animal  which  is  mentioned  by  Burckhardt  (Travels  in 
Nubia,  Appendix  I.,  p.  433)  as  the  ^\ •    This  name  must  be  given  to  it  bv 

the  Shuwa,  but  I  did  not  hear  it. 


474 


TRiVVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


are  situated  on  its  banks,  as  Ba-Mele,  Ba-Bus6,  Ba-Gun,  while 
the  Arabs  call  it  at  this  place  Bahr-Mele,  and  a  little  higher  up 
from  the  other  village,  Bahr-A^su.  When  the  whole  river, 
therefore,  is  sometimes  called  A^su,  the  relation  is  quite  the 
same  as  the  komadugu  Waube  being  called  Yeou  or  Y6. 

But  while  I  was  thus  able  to  employ  mj  time  not  quite  un- 
profitably,  my  comforts  were  not  quite  so  good  as  I  had  been 
led  to  expect,  neither  fowl  nor  milk  being  procurable,  and  the 
fresh  fish  of  the  river,  which  I  was  occasionally  able  to  procure 
for  a  handsome  present,  not  agreeing  with  the  weak  state  of  my 
stomach,  although  it  was  excellent  and  very  palatable.  There 
is  a  small  market  held  at  a  village  about  five  miles  distant,  of 
the  name  of  E^diye,  and  every  Wednesday  another  market,  a 
little  more  important,  near  a  village  of  the  name  of  Chinge. 

My  impatience  was  augmented  by  the  unmistakable  signs  of 
the  approach  of  the  rainy  season,  while  the  numbers  of  the 
musquitoes  allowed  me  but  little  rest  during  the  night.  The 
sky  w^as  usually  overcast,  and  occasionally  early  in  the  morn- 
ing the  whole  country  was  enveloped  in  a  dense  fog.  Though 
rather  cool  in  the  morning,  the  weather  became  sultry  toward 
the  middle  of  the  day,  and  heavy  squalls  of  wind  sometimes  set 
in  in  the  afternoon.  I  would  willingly  have  shared  the  com- 
pany of  the  sultan  in  the  expedition,  although  the  news  which 
arrived  from  the  camp  was  not  altogether  of  a  satisfactory  char- 
acter. The  pagan  inhabitants  of  Gogomi,  against  whom  he  was 
waging  war,  were  reported  to  have  descended  from  their  mount- 
ain strongholds,  and  to  have  slain  a  considerable  number  of  his 
people,  and  among  them  a  well-known  Arab  from  Morocco,  who 
accompanied  him  on  this  expedition. 

Thursday,  March  lAth.  It  was  about  noon  when,  to  my 
great  delight,  my  trooper  Grema  'Abdu  returned  from  his  er- 
rand. He  was  accompanied  by  two  attendants  of  the  Zerma, 
or  rather  Kadamange,  the  lieutenant  governor  whom  the  sul- 
tan had  left  during  his  absence  in  command  of  the  capital.  I 
was  disappointed,  however,  in  my  expectation  that  I  should  be 
allowed,  without  further  delay,  to  reach  the  capital  myself,  for 
the  messengers  produced  a  document,  provided  with  a  large  black 


ANTELOPES.— CROCODILES.— O'DIYO'. 


475 


seal,  to  the  effect  that  I  was  to  await  the  answer  of  the  sultan 
in  Bugoman,  a  place  higher  up  the  river,  the  inhabitants  of 
which,  together  with  those  of  a  neighboring  town,  called  Miskin, 
were  to  provide  me  with  fresh  fish  and  milk  during  my  stay 
there.  Although  anxious  to  join  the  sultan  himself,  I  had  noth- 
ing to  object  to  such  an  arrangement,  and  was  glad  to  move  on, 
if  it  were  only  a  little.  Our  path  on  leaving  the  village  kept 
along  the  steep  northeasterly  bank  of  the  river,  which  here  sep- 
arates into  two  branches,  of  which  the  eastern  one  has  more  the 
nature  of  a  creek.  The  island  thus  formed  was  thickly  wood- 
ed, and,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  hamlet  of  fishermen,  seem- 
ed to  be  left  entirely  to  the  possession  of  wild  animals ;  for 
while  we  clearly  distinguished  a  flock  of  about  a  dozen  large 
antelopes  of  the  species  called  "mohor'  or  ^'himYSLje'' {A?itilope 
Soemmeinngii)^  we  were  not  a  little  surprised  at  seeing  a  string 
of  not  less  than  twenty-two  crocodiles  all  lying  quietly  on  their 
backs  on  the  sandy  beach  and  basking  in  the  sun.  None  of 
them,  however,  were  remarkable  for  their  size,  the  largest  meas- 
uring apparently  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet. 

Our  march  was  rather  short,  my  companions  taking  up  quar- 
ters for  us  in  the  small  village  called  Limshi,  situated  two  miles 
and  a  half  higher  up  the  river,  or  rather  creek. 

Here  there  was  a  tolerable  degree  of  activity,  and  several 
boats  were  lying  near  the  banks.  Having  just  before  observed 
such  numbers  of  crocodiles,  I  was  not  a  little  astonished  at  see- 
ing the  women,  who  were  fetching  water,  bathing  without  ap- 
prehension in  the  river.  The  island  opposite,  at  this  spot  also, 
was  densely  covered  with  wood,  but  a  little  higher  up  there  is  a 
village  of  the  name  of  O^diyo.  Our  reception  in  the  village  was 
very  inhospitable,  and  gave  me  a  bad  idea  of  the  authority  of 
the  lieutenant  governor,  under  whose  protection  I  was  traveling. 

Friday,  March  2Qth,  Our  march  for  the  first  mile  and  a  half 
led  through  stubble-fields,  after  which  we  entered  a  dense  forest 
filled  with  numerous  creeping  plants,  but  otherwise  of  rather 
uniform  character,  awaiting  the  reviving  power  of  the  rainy  sea- 
son. The  shallow  water-course  Mbusada,  or  Msel  el  Haj  'All, 
was  all  the  time  close  on  our  left,  till  we  crossed  it,  at  a  distance 


476 


TliAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


of  about  five  miles.  We  then  pursued  our  march  through  cul- 
tivated grounds,  where,  besides  millet,  a  little  cotton  also  wa,^- 
raised,  at  other  times  proceeding  through  clearer  forest,  and  soon 
reached  the  village  Mustafaji,  which  was  the  native  place  of  ihv 
wife  of  my  escort,  Grema  Abdu. 

Here  we  were  quartered  without  delay,  but  the  huts  were  not 
remarkable  either  for  their  size  or  architecture,  consisting  en- 
tirely of  thatch  and  reed,  the  lower  part  being  only  slightly 
touched  with  clay,  and  during  the  hot  hours  of  the  day  the  heat 
of  them  was  really  suftbcating.  The  inhabitants  are  all  Kanu- 
ri,  who,  having  emigrated  from  Bornu  during  the  time  of  the 
decay  of  that  empire,  have  settled  here  as  well  as  in  other  parts 
of  Bagirmi,  where  they  have  introduced  the  little  civilization 
which  at  present  is  seen,  especially  weaving  and  dyeing,  whicli 
is  here  carried  on  to  a  considerable  extent.  The  Shari  or  Ba, 
in  a  direct  line,  is  only  about  seven  miles  distant  toward  the 
west,  and  the  inundation  even  approaches  the  very  village  by 
means  of  the  shallow  depressions  and  water-courses  which  in- 
tersect the  country.  A  great  extent  of  ground  was  under  cul- 
tivation. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  village  behaved  very  hospitably,  and 
my  horseman's  father-in-law,  a  very  jovial  and  decent-looking 
man,  made  me  a  present  of  a  fat  sheep.  The  only  difficulty 
was  the  water,  the  Vv^ell,  notwithstanding  its  depth  of  fifteen 
fathoms,  containing  only  a  very  small  supply.  Scarcity  of  wa- 
ter seems,  indeed,  to  be  one  of  the  great  disadvantages  of  Ba- 
girmi. 

We  remained  here  the  whole  of  the  forenoon  of  the  following- 
day,  and  did  not  start  unj;il  half  past  two  in  the  afternoon.  The 
country  which  we  traversed  was  well  inhabited,  and  a  good  deal 
of  cotton  was  to  be  seen,  and  it  was  here  that  I  first  beheld  it 
cultivated  in  ridges  and  furrows,  a  manner  of  culture  which,  T 
think,  is  constantly  adhered  to  in  America  as  well  as  in  India, 
but  in  Negroland  very  rarely,  the  cotton-plants  growing  on  the 
ridges,  but  being  at  present  quite  bare  of  leaves.  All  the  cot- 
ton plantations  which  I  had  seen  previously  in  Negroland  were 
left  to  themselves,  and  were  in  rather  a  wild  state,  but  here 


THE  SHA'RI'  AGAIN. 


477 


they  seemed  to  be  well  kept  and  taken  care  of.  At  a  village 
called  Mutkomi  my  attention  was  drawn  to  the  great  numbers 
of  asses  ;  here  the  ground  v/as  full  of  the  holes  of  the  fenek  or 
Megalotis,  called  by  the  native  Shuwa  population  "bu  hassen.'' 
Further  on,  a  firm  and  dry  clay  soil  succeeded.  Having  then 
passed  a  large  village  of  the  name  of  Bugan',  we  took  up  our 
quarters  a  little  before  sunset  in  a  village  called  Matuwari, 
which  belongs  to  a  w^ealthy  and  learned  man  called  Legari  Bu- 
Musa,  and  were  very  hospitably  received.  These  people  were 
also  Kanuri,  and  I  was  delighted  to  observe  some  signs  of  in- 
dustry in  the  shape  of  a  small  dyeing-place,  which  contained 
two  pits. 

March  2Sth.  At  an  early  hour  we  pursued  our  march,  ap- 
proaching the  town  of  Bugoman,  where  I  was  to  await  further 
orders  from  the  sultan.  The  country  exhibited  signs  of  consid- 
erable elevation,  and  numerous  farming  hamlets,  called  "yoweo" 
by  the  Bagirmi  people,  were  spread  about ;  at  present,  howev- 
er, they  were  tenantless,  being  only  inhabited  during  the  rainy 
season  by  the  "field  hands,"  as  an  American  would  say. 

After  a  march  of  about  four  miles,  and  having  passed  a 
swampy  meadow-ground  with  numerous  traces  of  the  rhinoce- 
ros, we  again  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  great  river  of  Bagirmi, 
the  Shari  or  Ba,  which  here,  where  at  present  it  formed  a  wide,  ' 
flat  sandy  beach,*  at  first  sight  seemed  very  inconsiderable, 
compared  with  that  noble  character  which  it  had  exhibited  low- 
er down,  so  that  I  almost  supposed  it  to  be  nothing  but  a 
branch  of  the  principal  river,  although  my  people  repeatedly 
assured  me  this  was  not  the  case;  that  small  branch  Aviiich 
higher  up,  a  little  above  the  town  of  Miltu,  separates  from  it, 
passing  by  Buso  and  Bachikam,  a  few  miles  to  the  south  of 
Masena,  having  just  rejoined  it  near  the  town  of  Miskin,  of 
which  the  taller  trees,  if  not  the  houses,  were  visible  from  hence. 
The  river  here  forms  a  long  reach  from  south  to  north,  but 
higher  up,  beyond  Miskin,  comes  from  S.S.E.    The  bank  on 

*  Before  coming  to  the  main  river  I  had  to  traverse  a  small  stream  of  ver}' 
cold  and  limpid  water,  running  in  the  opposite  direction  to  the  river ;  but  I  do 
not  know  whence  it  may  proceed. 


478 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


this  side  was  very  low,  which  is  the  reason  that  the  river,  dur- 
ing the  inundation,  spreads  over  a  greater  extent  of  country. 
The  ground  shelves  very  gradually,  and  the  river  seemed  shal- 
low at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  beach,  but  its  depth  on 
the  other  side  may  be  the  more  considerable,  the  opposite  bank, 
on  which  the  town  of  Bugoman  stands,  being  rather  steep. 

The  town,  seen  from  this  distance,  seemed  to  be  rather  in  a 
state  of  decay — at  least  as  regarded  the  wall ;  but  it  was  pleas- 
antly adorned  with  a  variety  of  trees,  among  which  deleb-  and 
dum-palms  were  the  most  conspicuous.  It  was  market-day, 
and  in  the  cool  of  the  morning  numbers  of  people  were  collect- 
ed on  the  southeastern  beach,  where  we  had  arrived,  awaiting 
the  return  of  the  ferry-boats,  so  that  altogether  it  exhibited 
quite  an  interesting  scene.  But  gradually  the  bustle  subsided, 
and  the  heat  of  the  sun  on  the  sandy  beach  became  almost  in- 
supportable ;  for,  notwithstanding  my  warning,  we  had  left  the 
green  border  of  trees  and  herbage  far  behind  us,  and  had  ad- 
vanced along  the  broad  sandy  beach,  which  at  present  was  dry, 
to  the  very  edge  of  the  water.  [My  escort,  together  with  the 
two  servants  of  Zerma,  had  gone  into  the  town  to  announce  my 
arrival,  and  to  inform  the  head  man  of  the  order  of  the  lieuten- 
ant governor,  that  I  was  to  await  here  the  commands  of  the 
sultan ;  but  no  answer  came.  In  vain  did  I  endeavor  to  pro- 
tect myself  from  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun  by  forming  a 
temporary  shelter  of  my  carpet ;  for  the  sun  in  these  climes 
is  never  more  severe  than  just  before  the  setting  in  of  the 
rainy  season,  and  we  had  generally  at  two  o'clock  between  106° 
and  110°.  As  noon  passed  by  I  grew  impatient,  especially 
as  I  had  nothing  to  eat,  there  being  no  firewood  even  for  cook- 
ing a  very  simple  meal. 

At  length,  a  little  before  three  o'clock,  my  messengers  return- 
ed, and  their  countenances  indicated  that  they  were  not  the 
bearers  of  satisfactory  news.  The  Governor  of  Bugoman  re- 
fused obedience  to  the  direct  order  of  his  lord,  the  Sultan  of 
Bagirmi,  and  declined  receiving  me  into  the  town.  Nothing 
was  left  but  to  retrace  our  steps  to  the  village  Jilatuwari,  where 
we  had  been  so  hospitably  entertained.   Dragging,  therefore,  be- 


BUGARF. 


479 


hind  us  the  sheep  which  we  had  not  been  able  to  slaughter,  we 
returned  by  the  same  road  we  had  come. 

Here  we  remained  the  following  morning,  and  I  had  sufficient 
time  to  reflect  on  my  condition  in  this  country.  There  could 
not  be  the  least  doubt  that  the  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants 
were  unfavorably  inclined  toward  the  stranger ;  and  I  was  per- 
suaded that  the  best  course  for  me  to  pursue  would  be  to  return 
to  Logon,  and  there  quietly  await  the  answer  of  the  sultan  ;  but 
my  companions  were  not  of  my  opinion,  and  assured  me  I  was 
not  at  liberty  to  leave  the  country  after  I  had  once  entered  it. 
It  was  therefore  decided  that  we  should  proceed  in  the  direction 
of  the  capital,  and  make  our  further  proceedings  dependent  upon 
circumstances.  The  reason  we  did  not  start  at  once  was  be- 
cause my  companions  wanted  to  pass  the  extensive  forest  which 
lay  before  us  in  the  nighttime,  as  there  was  no  water  for  a 
whole  day's  march,  and  our  people  were  unprovided  with  wa- 
ter-skins. 

In  order  to  employ  my  leisure  time,  I  took  a  walk  to  Bugari, 
the  village  above  mentioned,  it  being  market-day ;  and  I  was 
glad,  considering  the  little  civilization  which  is  to  be  met  with 
in  these  regions,  to  find  a  good  deal  of  traffic  going  on  in  the 
market.  There  were  about  twenty  head  of  cattle,  between  six- 
ty and  eighty  sheep,  and  about  a  dozen  asses  to  be  sold ;  there 
were,  moreover,  a  good  assortment  of  black  and  white  tobes,  a 
tolerable  supply  of  butter  and  honey,  besides  millet,  beans,  and 
ground-nuts  ;  the  latter  especially  were  very  plentiful,  and  bore 
ample  testimony  to  the  fact  that  in  these  regions  also  this  val- 
uable article  of  commerce  grows  in  great  quantities,  and  forms 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  diet  of  the  natives ;  but  as  for  cot- 
ton, the  supply  was  rather  limited. 

The  staple  commodities  of  the  market  were  tobes,  half  tobes, 
and  single  strips  of  cotton,  or  farda,  about  three  inches  wide, 
and  from  three  to  four  dr'a  in  length.  Unfortunately,  I  was 
destitute  of  this  kind  of  money,  the  people  rejecting  with  con- 
tempt those  miserable  little  shirts,  or  dora,  which  I  had  brought 
with  me  from  Bornu ;  so  that,  notwithstanding  the  good  sup- 
ply of  the  market,  I  might  have  remained  unprovided.    I,  how- 


480 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


ever,  succeeded  in  "buying  a  few  farda  for  some  needles,  paying 
four  needles  for  each  farda.  I  bought  also  a  little  butter  for 
some  beads. 

The  whole  of  this  district  is  very  scantily  supplied  with  wa- 
ter ;  and  the  well  in  Matuwari,  which  is  only  two  fathoms  and  a 
half  deep,  contained  very  little.  The  wells  in  Bugari  were  three 
fathoms  deep,  but  were  no  better  supplied.  Of  course,  by  dig- 
ging to  a  greater  depth,  and  constructing  the  wells  in  a  proper 
way,  the  people  might  secure  a  sufficient  supply ;  but  they  pre- 
fer walking  every  day  to  a  far  distant  village  for  a  little  water 
rather  than  employ  a  few  weeks  industriously  in  making  a  du- 
rable well. 

After  a  cordial  parting  from  the  male  and  female  inhabitants 
of  the  village,  we  started  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon ; 
and  with  the  exception  of  a  short  halt,  about  sunset,  in  a  small 
hamlet  called  "  Buru-nyigo,"  or  "hyaenas'  den,"  we  continued 
our  march  without  interruption  till  past  eleven  o'clock  at  night. 
The  village  just  mentioned  lies  at  the  border  of  the  wilderness, 
and  here  we  had  not  only  to  water  our  horses  and  to  lay  in  a 
supply  of  water  for  ourselves,  but  I  had  also  to  give  medicine 
to  some  people  who  had  followed  me  all  the  way  from  Bugari. 

Having  rested  for  a  little  more  than  five  hours  in  the  midst 
of  a  forest,  without  being  molested  by  man  or  beast,  we  con- 
tinued our  march  through  the  dense  jungle  full  of  trees  and 
thick  underwood,  while  larger  trees  became  more  and  more 
scanty.  Gradually  the  forest  became  clearer,  and  flocks  of  tur- 
tle-doves seemed  to  indicate  that  there  was  water  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, although  such  a  conclusion  drawn  from  the  presence 
of  this  bird  is  sometimes  liable  to  error. 

After  the  rainy  season  the  character  presented  by  this  forest 
must  be  very  different,  and  a  little  farther  on  evident  signs  of 
former  cultivation  began  to  be  visible,  even  of  sesamum  ("mar- 
rashi*'  as  the  Kanuri,  karru"  as  the  Bagirmi  people  call  it), 
as  was  evident  from  the  deep  furrows  which  intersected  the 
ground.  The  inhabitants  of  two  or  three  small  hamlets  drag- 
ged on  a  miserable  existence  even  during  the  drouglit  which  at 
present  prevailed;  and  we  met  a  large  body  of  women  and 


MO'KORr. 


481 


children,  who  preferred  fetching  every  night  and  morning  their 
supply  of  this  most  essential  element  from  a  distance  of  several 
miles  rather  than  desert  their  native  village. 

Having  passed  another  hamlet,  likewise  destitute  of  water, 
and  left  several  villages  at  a  greater  distance  surrounded  by  a 
tract  of  cultivated  ground,  we  at  length  reached  the  longed-for 
El  Dorado  where  water  was  to  be  found ;  and,  as  may  be  pre- 
sumed, there  was  a  great  bustle  round  the  well,  which  had  to 
supply  the  whole  thirsty  neighborhood.  Numbers  of  people, 
camels,  and  asses  were  thronging  around,  longing  for  the  mo- 
ment when  they  might  come  in  for  their  share  ;  and  as  the  well 
was  ten  fathoms  deep,  a  considerable  time  would  necessarily 
elapse  before  they  were  all  supplied.  Being  saluted  in  a  friend- 
ly way  by  the  people,  I  pitched  my  tent  in  the  shade  of  a  large 
chedia  or  caoutchouc-tree,  which,  however,  was  very  scanty,  as 
the  young  leaves  had  not  come  out,  and  afforded  very  little  re- 
lief from  the  heat  of  the  sun. 

Here  it  was  for  the  first  time  that  I  tasted  a  dish  of  sesa- 
mum,  which  was  prepared  in  the  same  manner  as  millet,  in  the 
form  of  a  large  hasty  pudding,  but,  being  insufficiently  season- 
ed by  the  common  Africafi  sauce  of  the  leaves  of  the  kuka  or 
monkey-bread-tree,  did  not  appear  to  me  to  be  a  very  dainty 
dish.  The  village,  the  name  of  which  is  Mokori,  had  a  com- 
fortable appearance ;  and  the  pounding  of  indigo  in  the  dyeing- 
pits  went  on  without  interruption,  even  during  the  heat  of  the 
day.  Some  Fulbe  or  Fellata  shepherds  live  in  the  neighbor- 
hood ;  and  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  barter  a  little  butter  for 
glass  beads,  as  well  as  a  small  supply  of  rice — that  is  to  say, 
wild  rice,  for  rice  is  not  cultivated  here,  but  only  gathered  in 
the  jungles  from  what  the  elephant  and  rhinoceros  have  left. 
Altogether,  I  might  have  been  very  comfortable  if  my  uncertain 
situation  in  the  country  had  not  caused  me  some  anxiety. 

When  we  pursued  our  march  in  the  afternoon,  our  road  lay 
through  a  fertile  country,  where  the  cultivation  was  divided  be- 
tween millet  and  sesamum,  till  we  reached  the  first  group  of  the 
village  of  Bakada,  which  consists  of  four  distinct  hamlets.  Here 
my  companions  wanted  to  procure  quarters  for  me ;  but,  fortu- 

Vol.  II.— H  II 


482 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


nately,  the  head  man  of  the  village  refused  them  admittance,  so 
that  they  were  obhged  to  seek  for  hospitality  in  another  hamlet, 
and  it  was  my  good  luck  to  obtain  quarters  in  the  house  of  a 
man  who  forms  one  of  the  most  pleasing  recollections  of  my 
journey.  This  was  Haj  Bii-Bakr  Sadik,  a  spare  old  man,  of 
very  amiable  temperament,  to  whom  I  became  indebted  for  a 
great  deal  of  kindness  and  valuable  information. 

While  I  pitched  my  tent  in  his  small  court-yard,  he  was  sit- 
ting close  by,  and  was  informing  me  in  very  good  Arabic  that 
he  had  thrice  made  the  pilgrimage  to  Mekka,  and  seen  the  great 
ships  of  the  Christians  on  the  Sea  of  Jedda.  He  remembered 
minutely  all  the  different  localities  which  he  had  visited  in  the 
course  of  his  long  wanderings. 

Delighted  that  by  chance  I  had  fallen  in  with  such  a  man,  I 
sent  away  the  next  morning  my  horseman  Grema  'Abdu,  and 
the  two  messengers,  to  the  capital,  in  order  to  inform  the  lieu- 
tenant governor  that  the  chief  of  Bugoman  had  refused  obe- 
dience to  his  direct  order  and  denied  me  admittance  into  the 
town,  and  to  ask  him  w^hat  was  to  become  of  me  now.  Send- 
ing him  at  the  same  time  a  present,  I  begged  him  urgently  to 
allow  me  either  to  enter  the  capital  or  to  retrace  my  steps  to 
Bornu.  Grema  promised  me  that  he  would  return  the  next 
morning  with  a  decisive  answer.  However,  he  did  not  keep  his 
promise,  but  remained  absent  full  seven  days,  although  the  dis- 
tance from  the  capital  was  only  about  ten  miles.  It  was  there- 
fore very  fortunate  that  I  had  the  company  of  Bu-Bakr  Sadik, 
for  no  other  person  would  have  been  able  to  give  me  such  an 
insight  into  the  character  and  the  history  of  these  regions  as 
this  man. 

He  drew  a  spirited  picture  of  the  great  national  struggle 
which  his  countrymen  had  been  carrying  on  against  Bornu,  he 
himself  having  taken  part  in  several  battles.  He  boasted,  and 
with  reason,  that  slaves  of  his  master  had  twice  beaten  the 
Sheikh  Mohammed  el  Kanemi,  and  that  the  sheikh  had  only 
gained  the  victory  by  calling  to  his  assistance  Mustapha  el  A^h- 
mar  and  Mukni,  the  two  succeeding  sultans  of  Fezzan,  when  by 
destroying  the  towns  of  Babaliya  and  Gawi,  and  by  taking  pos- 


BU'-BAKR  SADI  K.— WORMS. 


483 


session  of  the  capital,  he  made  himself  temporary  master  of 
the  country.  He  described  to  me  with  delight  how  his  coun- 
trymen had  driven  back  the  Fellata  who  were  endeavoring  to 
establish  the  Jemmara  in  their  country,  and  that  they  had  un- 
dertaken afterward  a  successful  expedition  against  Bogo,  one  of 
the  settlements  of  that  nation. 

Bii-Bakr,  indeed,  might  have  been  called  a  patriot  in  every 
sense  of  the  word.  Although  a  loyal  subject,  and  humbly  de- 
voted to  his  sultan,  nevertheless  he  beheld  with  the  deepest 
mortification  the  decline  of  his  native  country  from  the  former 
wealth  and  importance  it  had  enjoyed  previous  to  the  time  when 
'Abd  el  Ken'm  Sabun,  the  Sultan  of  Waday,  conquered  it,  plun- 
dered its  treasures,  made  the  king  tributary,  and  led  numbers 
of  the  inhabitants  into  slavery.  Thus  the  whole  well-being  of 
the  country  had  been  annihilated,  and  not  only  their  wealth  in 
silver  and  cattle  had  disappeared,  but  the  ruin  and  decay  ex- 
tended even,  as  he  considered  in  his  melancholy  frame  of  mind, 
to  nature — whole  districts  which  had  been  formerly  under  cul- 
tivation and  covered  with  villages  being  now  changed  to  a  wil- 
derness, and  regions  which  had  formerly  been  well  supplied 
with  water  suffering  now  the  extreme  of  drought.  Worms,  he 
told  me,  were  devouring  their  crops  and  vegetables,  dooming 
them  to  starvation. 

All  this  was  true  as  far  as  regarded  the  present  state  of  the 
country ;  for,  though  I  can  not  say  whether  its  physical  condi- 
tion was  ever  much  more  favorable,  still,  as  to  its  government 
and  political  importance,  there  certainly  was  a  time  when  Ba- 
girmi  enjoyed  greater  prosperity.  It  might  seem,  indeed,  as  if 
the  country  was  visited  by  Divine  chastisement,  as  a  punish- 
ment for  the  offenses  of  their  ancestors  and  the  ungodly  life  of 
their  former  ruler..  In  no  country  in  the  whole  extent  of  Ne- 
groland  which  I  have  traveled  over  have  I  seen  such  vast  num- 
bers of  destructive  worms,  and  such  a  predominance  of  ants,  as 
in  Bagirmi.  There  is  especially  a  large  black  worm,  called 
"  hallu-wendi,"  as  long  as  the  largest  grub,  but  much  bigger, 
which,  swarming  in  millions,  consumes  an  immense  proportion 
of  the  produce  of  the  natives.    Bu-Bakr  showed  me  another 


484 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


far  smaller  but  not  less  voracious  insect,  which  they  call  "  kun- 
jungjudu,"  a  beetle  about  half  an  inch  long,  and  of  a  yellow 
color ;  but  the  poor  natives,  like  the  inhabitants  of  other  coun- 
tries in  the  case  of  the  locust,  do  not  fail  to  take  their  revenge ; 
for,  when  the  insect  has  grown  fat  and  big  at  their  expense,  they 
devour  it  themselves — a  habit  which  may  be  one  of  the  numer- 
ous relics  of  their  former  pagan  existence,  it  being  still  a  general 
custom  with  the  Sokoto  to  eat  a  large  species  of  beetle  called 
*'  dernana." 

Of  other  species  of  worms  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  far- 
ther on  ;  but  with  the  white  and  black  ants  I  myself  waged  re- 
peatedly a  relentless  but  unsuccessful  war  during  my  residence 
in  the  country.  Already,  the  second  day  of  my  stay  in  Baka- 
da,  I  observed  that  the  white  ant  [Termes  fatalis)  was  threaten- 
ing my  couch,  which  I  had  spread  upon  a  very  coarse  mat,  or 
"  siggedi"  as  the  Kaniiri,  "laba"  as  the  Bagirmi  people  call 
it,  made  of  the  thickest  reed,  with  total  destruction.  I  there- 
fore, for  want  of  a  better  protection,  contrived  an  expedient 
which  I  thought  would  guarantee  my  berth  against  the  further 
attacks  of  those  cruel  intruders,  placing  my  couch  upon  three 
very  large  poles  ;  but  I  soon  had  cause  to  discover  that  those 
ferocious  insects  were  not  to  be  deterred  by  such  means,  for  two 
days  afterward  I  found  that  they  had  not  only  built  their  in- 
trenchments  along  the  poles,  and  reached  the  top,  but  had  eaten 
through  both  the  coarse  mats,  finished  a  large  piece  of  my  Stam- 
buli  carpet,  and  destroyed  several  other  articles.  And  during 
my  further  stay  here  I  had  the  greatest  trouble  in  preventing 
these  insects  from  destroying  all  my  things,  for  their  voracity 
and  destructive  powers  seem  to  increase  toward  the  beginning 
of  the  rainy  season,  which  was  fast  setting  in. 

The  weather  was  exceedingly  sultry,  and  we  had  the  first 
thunder-storm  on  the  3d  of  April,  and  from  that  time  we  experi- 
enced a  tornado  almost  every  day,  although  in  general  there 
was  not  much  rain. 

The  village  itself,  of  course,  afforded  very  little  entertainment. 
In  former  times  it  had  been  nothing  but  a  slave  or  farming  vil- 
lage, or  "yoweo,"  while  the  masters  of  the  field-hands  resided 


CHARACTER  OF  BA'KADA'. 


485 


at  another  place  called  Kustiya,  and  it  was  only  a  few  years 
previously  that  they  had  taken  up  their  residence  at  this  place ; 
nevertheless,  even  at  present  it  is  nothing  better  than  a  farming 
village,  grain  being  the  only  produce  of  the  place,  while  the  in- 
habitants do  not  possess  a  single  cow,  so  that  milk  and  butter 
are  great  luxuries,  and  even  a  fowl  quite  out  of  the  question. 
But  as  for  grain,  Bakada  is  not  without  importance;  on  the 
contrary,  it  is  one  of  the  chief  corn-growing  places  in  the  country, 
especially  for  sorghum  ("ngaberi,"  or,  as  they  call  it,  '*wa"), 
while  millet  ("  chengo")  is  not  so  extensively  grown. 

A  market  is  held  every  Sunday  near  the  western  hamlet ;  but 
it  is  very  miserable  indeed,  and  it  was  all  the  worse  for  me,  as 
the  people  refused  to  accept  in  payment  any  of  those  small 
articles  of  which  I  was  still  possessed,  all  my  property  at  that 
time  consisting  of  3000  shells — that  is  to  say,  little  more  than 
a  Spanish  dollar — a  small  assortment  of  beads,  and  a  few  look- 
ing-glasses, but  principally  needles,  while  here  also  the  people 
required  what  I  had  not,  namely,  the  cotton  strips  which  I  have 
mentioned  above.  The  only  luxury  offered  for  sale  in  the  mar- 
ket was  a  miserable  lean  sheep ;  and,  as  a  representative  of  for- 
eign civilization,  there  was  half  a  sheet  of  common  paper. 

This  was  the  sole  attraction  of  the  place,  with  the  exception 
of  my  amiable,  intelligent,  and  kind  host  Bu-Bakr  Sadik.  The 
poor  old  man  was  extremely  indignant  at  the  negligent  manner 
in  which  I  was  treated ;  but  he  was  feeble  and  timorous,  and 
had  no  authority  in  higher  spheres.  The  information  which, 
from  time  to  time,  I  collected  from  him  during  my  monotonous 
stay  in  this  place,  shall  be  given  in  the  Appendix,  in  the  sev- 
eral places  to  which  the  subjects  refer.  It  was  very  amusing 
for  me  to  observe  that  the  good  old  man,  all  the  time  that  he 
was  conversing  with  me,  was  not  a  moment  idle  ;  but  he  would 
either  sew,  not  only  for  himself,  but  even  articles  of  dress  for 
another  wife  of  his,  whom  he  had  in  the  capital,  and  soon  in- 
tended to  visit ;  or  he  would  scrape  some  root  to  use  as  medi- 
cine, or  else  select  some  indigo  for  dyeing  his  tobe  ;  or,  if  he  had 
nothing  better  to  do,  he  would  gather  the  single  grains  of  corn 
which  had  fallen  to  the  ground,  for,  in  his  pious  frame  of  mind. 


486 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


lie  tliouglit  it  a  sin  that  so  valuable  a  proof  of  the  bounty  of  the 
Almighty  should  be  wasted. 

The  other  inhabitants  of  the  place  were  rather  uninteresting ; 
and  I  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  with  the  same  man  who,  on 
our  arrival,  liad  refused  us  hospitality ;  for,  as  he  was  sick  and 
wanted  a  cooling  medicine,  I  found  the  common  remedies  with 
which  I  was  provided  too  weak  for  his  Herculean  frame,  till  at 
length,  with  a  dose  of  half  a  dozen  ounces  of  Epsom  salts, 
mixed  up  with  three  or  four  drachms  of  worm-powder,  I  suc- 
ceeded in  making  him  acknowledge  the  efficacy  of  my  medi- 
cines. 

In  general  the  Bagirmi  people  are  much  better  made  than  the 
Bornu,  the  men  excelling  them  in  size  as  well  as  in  muscular 
strength,  as  they  do  also  in  courage  and  energy  of  mind,  while 
the  women  are  far  superior.  The  Bagirmi  females  in  general 
are  very  well  made,  taller  and  less  square  than  the  ugly  Bornu 
women,  but  with  beautifully-proportioned  limbs,  while  their  fea- 
tures have  a  great  deal  of  regularity  and  a  pleasing  expression  ; 
some  of  them  might  even  be  called  handsome,  with  their  large, 
dark,  beautiful  eyes.  The  broad  nostrils  of  the  Bornu  females, 
which  are  still  more  disfigured  by  the  ugly  coral  on  the  left  side 
of  the  nose,  are  entirely  foreign  to  them.  While  the  Bornu  fe- 
males in  general  endeavor  only  to  excel  by  the  quantity  of  fat 
or  butter  which  they  put  upon  their  hair,  the  Bagirmi  women 
bestow  considerable  care  upon  its  arrangement ;  and  the  way  in 
which  they  wear  it,  imitating  exactly  the  shape  of  the  crest  of  a 
helmet,  is  very  becoming,  as  it  harmonizes  exceedingly  well 
with  their  tall  and  well-proportioned  figures.  It  is,  therefore, 
not  without  reason  that  the  Bagirmi  females  are  celebrated  over 
a  great  part  of  Negroland.  Their  dress  is  very  simple,  similar 
to  that  of  Bornu,  namely,  the  black  "turkedi,"  whicli  is  fastened 
across  the  breast,  while  the  wealthier  among  them  usually  throw 
a  second  one  over  the  shoulder. 

The  vromen  in  general  seemed  to  be  very  healthy ;  but  the 
men  suffer  much  from  a  peculiar  sickness  which  they  themselves 
call  "  mukardam,"  while  the  Arabs  call  it  by  the  same  name  as 
the  "Guinea-worm,"  namely,  "ferentit"  or  "  'aruk,"  although  it 


PILGRIMS.— THE  "  NEEDLE-PRINCE." 


487 


seems  to  be  a  very  different  thing ;  it  is  a  sort  of  worm  whicli 
dwells  in  the  little  toe,  and  eats  it  gradually  away,  beginning  at 
the  joint,  so  that  the  limb  has  the  appearance  of  being  tied  up 
with  a  thread.  I  think  this  insect  is  identical  with  the  Mails 
Americana  or  Sauvagesii^  or,  as  it  is  more  generally  called, 
Pulex  penetrans^  a  very  small  black  insect  well  known  in  Amer- 
ica. This  disease  is  so  general  hereabouts  that  amqng  ten  peo- 
ple you  will  find  at  least  one  who  has  only  four  toes. 

At  times  the  village  was  enlivened  by  some  little  intercourse 
— now  a  caravan  of  pilgrims,  then  a  group  of  native  merchants, 
tugurchi  or  fataki.  The  pilgrims  were  some  of  them  on  their 
home-journey,  with  the  impression  they  had  received  of  things 
scarcely  intelligible  to  themselves,  others  going  eastward  with 
the  narrow  prejudices  which  they  had  brought  from  their  dis- 
tant homes.  There  were  people  from  every  region  of  Negro- 
land  ;  but,  unfortunately,  I  had  scarcely  any  thing  to  offer  them 
besides  needles,  with  which  article  I  gladly  assisted  them  on 
their  arduous  journey  ;  for  nothing  is  of  so  much  importance  to 
the  traveler  as  to  gain  the  good-will  of  these  people,  who  are  the 
bearers  of  public  opinion  in  these  regions.  Thus  my  liberality 
of  making  presents  of  needles,  and  nothing  but  needles,  procured 
me  the  title  among  these  witty  people  of  the  Needle-prince, 
"  malaribra and,  although  it  was  useful,  in  order  to  convince 
them  of  my  friendly  disposition,  it  was  scarcely  sufficient  to 
open  an  intimate  intercourse  with  them.  But  there  was  one 
among  these  distant  wanderers,  a  native  of  Kebbi,  a  very  intel- 
ligent man,  from  whom  I  derived  my  first  information  about  the 
populousness  of  that  fine  and  beautiful  country  which  I  was 
soon  to  visit  myself. 

A  numerous  group  of  pilgrims  from  Wandala  or  Mandara 
also  created  a  considerable  interest ;  and  I  entered  with  them 
into  lively  polemics  concerning  the  relation  of  their  prince,  or 
"  tuske  male,"  with  the  ruler  of  Bornu  ;  for  they  denied  positive- 
ly that  their  chief  had  tendered  his  subjection  in  order  to  avert 
from  his  own  country  that  numerous  host  which  we  had  accom- 
panied a  few  months  previously  to  the  Musgu  country.  The 
poorer  members  of  the  caravan  went  round  about  the  hamlets 


488 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


beating  their  drums,  in  order  to  collect  alms  to  supply  their 
wants  during  their  meritorious  journey,  while  the  wealthier 
among  them  came  to  my  host  in  order  to  buy  from  him  their 
supply  of  native  corn. 

The  commercial  intercourse,  also,  which  took  place  in  the  lit- 
tle village  where  I  was  obliged  to  make  so  long  a  stay  exhibit- 
ed some  more  interesting  features,  notwithstanding  the  dullness 
of  the  market ;  for  among  the  merchants  there  appeared  occa- 
sionally a  small  troop  of  Hausa  people — dangarunfa,  slender, 
active  fellows,  accustomed  to  fatigue,  and  content  with  little 
profit,  who  were  carrying  on  their  heads,  all  the  way  from  Kano 
to  Bagirmi,  small  parcels  of  indigo-dyed  shirts,  and  other  com- 
modities, in  order  to  barter  them  for  the  fine  asses  of  Dar-Fur, 
which  are  brought  hither  by  the  travelers  from  the  East. 

Not  less  interesting  was  the  arrival  of  a  portion  of  a  numer- 
ous caravan  of  Jellaba  from  Nimro  in  Waday,  who  had  come 
to  Mas-ena;  it  consisted  of  about  a  dozen  people,  with  about 
twenty  pack-oxen  and  asses.  As  for  the  principal  part  of  the 
caravan,  the  chief  commodity  imported  by  them  was  copper, 
which  they  were  bringing  from  the  great  copper-mine,  or  el  ho- 
fra,  situated  to  the  south  of  Dar-Fur,  carrying  it  as  far  as  Kano 
toward  the  west,  where  this  fine  eastern  copper  rivals  the  old 
copper  which  is  brought  by  the  Arab  caravans  from  Tripoli. 
But  these  people  who  had  arrived  in  Bakada  were  the  poorer 
members  of  the  troop,  and  their  wealth  and  exclusive  article  of 
commerce  was  a  very  excellent  quality  of  rock  salt,  which  the 
Tebu-Gur'aan  bring  from  the  Burrum  or  Bahr  el  Ghazal  to 
Wara,  where  it  is  bought  in  great  quantities  by  the  Jellaba, 
who  sell  it  in  small  parcels,  carrying  it  as  far  as  Logon  and  Ku- 
suri.  I  bought  a  little  for  a  sheet  of  paper,  and  found  it  excel- 
lent, with  the  exception  of  its  having  decidedly  a  fishy  taste. 

It  was  but  very  rarely  that  I  mounted  my  horse,  as  I  pur- 
posely avoided  every  thing  which  was  likely  to  attract  atten- 
tion, or  create  envious  and  jealous  feelings  ;  but  on  the  10th  of 
the  month  I  was  obliged  by  circumstances  to  take  a  long  ride, 
as  my  she-camel,  which  at  the  time  was  my  only  beast  of  bur- 
den, was  missing,  and  not  a  trace  of  lier  could  be  found.  On 


PRODUCTS  OF  THE  COUNTllY. 


489 


the  southeast  side  of  the  village  there  is  much  forest  of  a  very 
uniform  character,  interspersed  with  tall  reed-grass ;  but  on  the 
other  sides  a  great  deal  of  cultivation  was  to  be  seen,  shaded  by 
hajilij  (or  "janga,"  as  it  is  called  here),  nebek  or  "kirna,"*  and 
talha-trees,  here  called  "kelaya."  I  found  it  very  remarkable 
that  almost  all  the  fields,  even  those  where  millet  and  sorghum 
were  grown,  were  laid  out  in  deep  furrows,  called  deraba — a 
system  of  tillage  which,  in  the  case  of  any  sort  of  grain,  I  had 
not  before  observed  in  Negroland.  Besides  grain,  a  good  deal 
of  sesamum  ("karru"),  cotton  ("nyere"),  and  indigo  ("alini") 
was  cultivated,  the  plants  being  from  two  and  a  half  to  three 
feet  in  height,  and  bare  of  leaves  at  the  present  season.  On  the 
northeast  side,  also,  there  was  a  great  deal  of  forest,  but  it  was 
adorned  by  some  groups  of  fine  trees.  It  was  enlivened  by 
numbers  of  Guinea-fowl  and  gazelles ;  and  a  great  number  of 
"  kalgo"-trees,  with  their  wide-spreading  branches,  were  ob- 
served here.  The  soil  had  been  already  tolerably  saturated 
with  moisture,  fine  tufts  of  succulent  grass  were  springing  up 
here  and  there,  and  I  was  enabled  to  water  my  horse  at  a  small 
pool ;  but  this  abundance  of  the  watery  element,  of  course,  was 
only  temporary,  in  consequence  of  the  heavy  rain  which  had 
fallen  the  previous  night,  and  the  poor  inhabitants  were  still  to 
suffer  most  severely  from  drought,  their  deep  well  being  almost 
dry.  This  was  the  only  point  in  regard  to  which  I  had  con- 
tinual disputes  with  the  inhabitants,  who  would  scarcely  allow 
my  horse  to  get  his  sufficient  quantum^  although  I  had  to  pay 
a  considerable  sum  for  it. 

Meanwhile  I  waxed  impatient.  At  length,  on  the  evening  of 
the  6th  of  April,  my  escort  Grema  (whom  on  the  last  day  of 

*  The  name  of  this  tree,  which  is  so  common  all  over  this  part  of  the  world — 
in  the  forms  korna,  kiirna,  kurnahi,  kurru,  kirna — is  one  of  the  most  widely-si)read 
of  all  those  names  indicating  objects  possessing  properties  useful  to  man ;  and 
this  would  seem  to  indicate  that  it  is  not  indigenous  in  the  various  regions  where 
it  is  at  present  found,  but  introduced  from  one  and  the  same  quarter.  However, 
on  nearer  inspection,  this  ai'gument  does  not  seem  to  be  conclusive.  It  has  cer- 
tainly not  been  introduced  into  Negroland  from  a  more  northern  climate,  as  lit- 
tle as  the  Balanites  and  the  Cticifera,  which  is  erroneously  called  Thebdica  in- 
stead of  Nigritia. 


490 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


March  I  had  sent  to  the  capital  to  bring  me  a  decisive  answer 
without  delay)  returned  with  a  message  of  the  lieutenant  gov- 
ernor— not,  however,  to  grant  either  of  my  requests,  but  rather 
to  induce  me  to  wait  patiently  till  an  answer  should  arrive  from 
the  sultan  himself.  In  order  that  I  might  not  starve  in  the 
mean  while,  they  brought  me  a  sheep  and  a  shirt,  with  which  I 
might  buy  provision  in  some  neighboring  village ;  but  as  there 
was  nothing  to  be  got  besides  millet  and  sorghum,  I  declared  it 
to  be  absolutely  necessary  for  me  either  to  be  admitted  into  the 
capital  or  to  retrace  my  steps.  I  requested  Grema  to  stay  with 
me ;  but  he  pretended  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  the  town, 
where  his  servant  lay  sick.  Not  suspecting  that  he  wanted  to 
leave  me  alone,  and  to  join  the  sultan  on  the  expedition,  I  al- 
lowed him  to  go,  and  resolved  to  wait  a  few  days  in  patience. 
But,  restless  and  impatient  as  I  was,  the  delay  pressed  heavily 
upon  me;  and  when,  on  the  13th,  my  kind  and  amiable  host, 
Bii-Bakr  Sadik  himself,  went  to  the  capital,  I  had  nothing  to 
calm  my  disquietude.  Through  my  host,  I  had  once  more  ad- 
dressed myself  to  the  lieutenant  governor,  requesting  to  be  ad- 
mitted into  the  capital  without  further  delay;  and  Bu-Bakr  had 
promised  me,  in  the  most  distinct  terms,  that  before  Thursday 
night,  which  was  the  15th,  I  should  have  a  decisive  answer. 
Having  only  one  weak  camel  to  carry  my  luggage,  I  had  taken 
scarcely  any  books  with  me  on  this  excursion  to  Bagirmi,  and 
the  little  information  which  I  had  been  able  to  gather  was  not 
sufficient  to  give  my  restless  spirit  its  proper  nourishment,  and 
I  felt,  therefore,  mentally  depressed.  The  consequence  was, 
that  when  Thursday  night  passed  away,  and  neither  Bu-Bakr 
himself  arrived,  nor  any  message  from  him,  I  determined  to  put 
my  threat  into  execution,  and  to  retrace  my  steps  the  following 
morning. 


ENDEAVOR  TO  LEAVE  THE  COUNTRY. 


491 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

ENDEAVOR  TO  LEAVE  THE  COUNTRY. — ARRESTED. — FINAL  EX- 
TRANCE  INTO  MAS-ENA. — ITS  CHARACTERISTIC  FEATURES. 

Friday^  April  \%th.  As  soon  as  day  dawned  I  arose  to  pre- 
pare for  my  departure.  The  sky  was  overcast,  and  a  little  rain 
fell,  which  caused  some  delay ;  but  as  soon  as  it  ceased  I  got 
my  camel  ready  and  my  horse  saddled.  Several  of  the  rela- 
tions and  friends  of  Bu-Bakr  endeavored  to  persuade  me  to  re- 
main, but  my  determination  was  too  fixed ;  and,  pointing  at  the 
disgraceful  manner  in  which  I  had  been  treated  in  this  country, 
I  mounted  my  horse  and  rode  off.  My  three  servants,  them- 
selves dissatisfied  with  the  treatment  they  had  received,  follow- 
ed sullenly. 

We  retraced  the  path  by  which  we  had  come,  but  the  rains 
had  made  it  almost  undiscernible,  and  we  had  some  difficulty 
to  make  out  the  right  track.  The  sun  was  very  powerful  after 
the  rain  which  had  fallen  during  the  night,  as  is  very  often  the 
case  in  tropical  climates  ;  and  it  not  being  my  design  to  ab- 
scond secretly,  I  decided  upon  halting  during  the  hot  hours  in 
Mokori,  and  quietly  pitched  my  tent ;  for  I  firmly  expected 
that  if  my  presence  v/as  required  it  was  here  they  would  seek 
for  me.  After  the  bad  fare  which  I  had  received  in  Bakada  for 
so  long  a  time,  I  was  delighted  to  be  able  to  procure  here  a 
fowl,  some  butter,  and  a  little  milk,  and  it  was  a  sort  of  holiday 
for  me  to  indulge  in  these  simple  luxuries.  The  manner  in 
which  I  obtained  these  supplies  was  rather  circuitous,  a  long 
bartering  taking  place  with  beads,  needles,  and  a  little  natron 
which  I  was  provided  with  from  Kiikawa.  The  price  of  the 
fowl  was  three  darning-needles  ;  and  I  may  here  state  the  obli- 
gation under  which  I  am  to  Mr.  Charles  Beke,  the  Abyssinian 
traveler,  upon  whose  advice  I  had  provided  myself  in  London 


\ 


492  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

Avitli  a  small  assortment  of  these  articles.  In  Middle  Sudan 
their  value  was  not  appreciated,  but  here  in  Bagirmi  I  found 
them  extremely  useful,  and  it  was  to  them  that  I  partly  owed 
my  subsistence  in  this  country. 

I  quietly  conversed  with  the  people  on  my  situation,  and  they 
behaved  very  friendly  toward  me,  and  advised  me,  if  no  news 
should  arrive  from  the  capital  in  the  course  of  the  day,  to  take 
the  road  by  KoUe-Kolle,  Marga,  and  Jogode,  a  place  which  they 
represented  as  of  considerable  size,  and  thus  to  reach  the  river 
near  the  village  of  Klesem,  from  whence  I  might  cross  over  to 
Kusuri.  I  even  obtained  here  some  valuable  information  with 
regard  to  the  river-system  of  Waday  from  a  Fellata*  or  Pullo 
of  the  name  of  'Abd  el  Kader.  I  should  have  passed  the  day 
very  comfortably  if  a  strong  gale  had  not  arisen  about  noon  and 
filled  my  tent  with  dust  and  sand.  The  sky  was  overcast,  but 
there  was  no  rain. 

A  little  after  sunset,  when  the  busy  scene  at  the  well  had 
subsided,  I  measured  the  temperature  of  the  water,  and  found 
it  to  be  86° '4  Fahr.,  which,  if  we  consider  it  as  nearly  the  mean 
temperature  of  the  country,  would  give  a  very  high  standard  for 
Bagirmi.  The  well  was  fifteen  fathoms  deep,  the  present  tem- 
perature of  the  air  being  then  86°  ;  at  one  o'clock  P.M.  it  had 
been  99° -7. 

April  11th.  Having  passed  rather  an  unpleasant  night,  the 
ground  swarming  with  black  ants  {Termes  mordax)^  so  that  my 
camel,  as  well  as  my  horse,  moved  restlessly  about  and  disturb- 
ed our  own  slumber  frequently,  I  set  out  early  in  the  morning 
with  confidence  on  my  journey  westward.  Forest  and  cultiva- 
ted ground  alternately  succeeded  each  other,  the  cultivation  con- 
sisting, besides  millet,  of  cotton  and  sesamum.  Women  were 
collecting  the  leaves  of  the  hajillj,  from  which,  in  the  absence 
of  the  more  esteemed  leaves  of  the  monkey-bread-tree,  to  pre- 
pare the  tasteless  sauce  used  for  their  daily  pudding.  The  ha- 
jiiij  was  the  most  predominant  tree ;  besides  it,  there  was  the 

*  1  will  here  remark  that  I  think  this  form,  Fellata,  which  is  usual  in  Bornu 
and  the  neighboring  countries,  is  in  its  origin  a  plural,  though  it  is  continually 
employed  also  for  the  singular. 


WANT  OF  WATER. 


493 


tree  called  homain  by  the  Sliuwa,  which  was  at  present  leafless, 
but  was  covered  with  fruit  about  the  size  of  an  apricot,  which, 
when  ripe,  is  eaten  by  the  natives.  The  tsada  also,  with  its 
cherry-like  fruit,  called  by  the  Shuwa  people  abudeje,  was  fre- 
quent. 

My  young  Shuwa  companion  here  called  my  attention  to 
the  honey-bird  {Cuculus  indicator)^  called  by  his  countrymen 
"shneter,"  and  said  to  be  a  metamorphosed  old  woman  search- 
ing after  her  young  son,  and  calling  him  by  name,  "  Shneterl 
Shneterl"  All  over  Africa  this  little  bird  has  given  rise  to  a 
variety  of  the  most  curious  tales,  from  the  Hottentot  country  to 
the  Somaul,  and  from  the  Somaul  to  the  Jolof. 

Having  gone  about  five  miles,  we  wanted  to  obtain  a  supply 
of  water  from  a  small  hamlet  of  the  name  of  Bagawu,  which  we 
saw  on  one  side  of  our  track ;  but  as  soon  as  we  approached  the 
well,  a  decrepit  old  man  rushed  furiously  out  of  his  hut,  as  if 
we  were  about  to  steal  his  most  valuable  property,  and  ordered 
us  aw^ay  with  the  most  threatening  attitude.  Such  is  the  value 
of  water  in  this  dry  region  !  We  therefore  continued  our  march, 
and  could  only  account  for  the  existence  of  this  miserable  vil- 
lage by  the  extensive  tract  of  cultivated  ground  which  was 
spread  about. 

We  then  entered  a  thick  forest  or  jungle,  with  tall  reeds,  and 
showing  numerous  footprints  of  the  giraffe,  an  animal  not  at  all 
frequent  in  the  populous  districts  of  Negroland.  Farther  on, 
the  path  exhibited  various  signs  of  being  a  common  thorough- 
fare for  elephants.  This  animal  farther  westward  had  not  made 
itself  remarkable,  while  its  inveterate  enemy  the  rhinoceros  had 
already,  close  to  the  river,  given  sufficient  proof  of  its  presence. 

At  half  past  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  approached  an- 
other village,  of  the  riame  of  Kolle-Kolle,  which  from  a  distance 
exhibited  a  most  noble  appearance,  adorned  as  it  was  by  two 
stately  deleb-palms,  here  called  kawe,  and  a  group  of  most  beau- 
tiful tamarind-trees  ;  but  as  for  water,  this  village  was  not  much 
better  provided  than  that  from  which  we  had  just  been  driven, 
being  dependent  for  this  necessary  element  upon  a  sister  village 
at  little  less  than  a  mile  distance.    Nevertheless,  the  dry  tract 


494 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


whicli  lay  before  me  obliged  me  to  make  a  halt  here,  in  order  to 
procure  a  supply  of  water. 

While  we  were  quietly  reclining  in  the  shade  of  the  tamarind- 
trees,  a  party  of  people  arrived  from  a  village  which  we  had 
passed  on  our  road,  in  order  to  obtain  some  medicines  ;  and  the 
way  in  which  they  acknowledged  my  trouble  was  so  delicate 
and  becoming  that  I  could  not  decline  it,  though  in  general  I  did 
not  accept  any  remuneration  for  my  cures.  On  taking  leave, 
they  tied  a  fat  sheep,  which  they  had  brought  with  them,  to  the 
branches  of  the  tree  under  which  we  were  reclining,  merely  in- 
forming my  servants  that  it  was  a  present  for  me. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  heat  during  the  midday  hours,  I 
thouglit  it  prudent  to  pursue  my  journey  without  delay ;  for  all 
my  informants  agreed  in  representing  the  tract  before  us  as  an 
extensive  wilderness,  entirely  destitute  of  water.  There  were, 
however,  evident  traces  that  during  the  rainy  season  this  dry 
forest  is  occasionally  changed  into  an  extensive  swamp,  and  fre- 
quented by  herds  of  giraffes  and  other  wild  beasts.  At  first  the 
forest  was  clear,  but  as  we  proceeded  it  became  enlivened  and  in- 
terwoven by  a  profusion  of  creeping  plants  called  "  selFa"  by 
the  Arab  inhabitants  of  this  country,  but  "ghelaf"  in  the  dia- 
lect of  the  western  Arabs.  In  many  spots  a  peculiar  kind  of 
reed  was  seen,  called  "hal"  by  the  Shuwa,  who  make  from  it 
writing-pens,  and  here  and  there  fresh  tufts  of  grass,  called  forth 
by  the  productive  power  of  the  rains,  were  springing  up.  It  is 
this  young,  succulent  herbage  which  especially  attracts  the  rhi- 
noceros. Desolate  as  this  wilderness  was  at  present,  there  were 
evident  signs  that  at  times  it  becomes  the  scene  of  a  considerable 
degree  of  human  industry,  and  besides  sesasum,  even  fields  of 
indigo  were  seen. 

After  a  march  of  about  thirteen  miles  we  reached  a  hamlet 
which  was  evidently  identical  with  the  village  Marga,  with  re- 
gard to  which  our  informants  had  not  been  sure  whether  we 
should  find  inhabitants  tliere  or  not.  We  entered  it,  but  not  a 
single  human  being  was  to  be  seen  ;  it  was  lifeless,  deserted, 
and  half  in  ruins.  Nevertheless,  there  were  some  houses  which 
evidently  contained  property,  though,  the  doors  not  being  suffi- 


LEAVING  THE  RIGHT  TRACK. 


495 


ciently  secured,  its  safety  was  left  to  the  honesty  of  the  pass- 
ers-by. 

Here  the  path  divided,  and  it  was  apparent  that,  in  order  to 
prosecute  my  journey  by  way  of  Jogode,  we  must  pursue  the 
northern  one ;  but  unluckily,  while  no  recent  traces  were  to  be 
seen  along  this  path,  the  southerly  track  seemed  to  be  well-trod- 
den, and  my  poor  servants,  who  before  had  silently  though  sul- 
lenly followed  me,  broke  out  into  the  most  mournful  lamenta- 
tions when  they  saw  I  wanted  to  take  the  path  which  showed 
no  signs  of  intercourse,  saying  that  I  was  going  to  destroy  their 
lives  as  well  as  my  own  in  this  desolate  wilderness.  At  length, 
after  having  in  vain  remonstrated  with  them,  telling  them  that 
they  were  frustrating  my  projects,  I  allowed  myself  to  be  over- 
ruled by  their  piteous  supplications,  although  with  a  sad  fore- 
boding, and  pursued  the  southerly  track. 

The  sun  was  just  setting  when  we  reached  another  hamlet, 
consisting  of  large,  decent-looking  huts,  and  filling  us  with  al- 
most confident  hope  that  we  might  there  find  comfortable  quar- 
ters ;  but  we  soon  convinced  ourselves  that  here,  also,  not  a  hu- 
man being  was  left  behind.  Only  a  group  of  five  antelopes  {o7yx)^ 
called  here  "tetel,"  with  their  erect  horns,  were  fearlessly  stand- 
ing at  a  little  distance,  and  staring  at  us.  It  was  the  first  time 
I  had  seen  this  handsome  animal  in  a  wild  state,  though  I  aft- 
erward found  it  to  be  very  frequent  in  this  country,  and  even 
fell  in  with  it  along  the  komadugu  of  Bornu. 

Having  convinced  ourselves  that  the  well  was  dry,  and  not 
thinking  quarters  in  a  desolate  village  very  safe  in  such  a  coun- 
try, we  pursued  our  march,  entering  again  a  dense  forest  where 
a  great  deal  of  rain  seemed  to  have  fallen,  so  that  I  was  even 
enabled  to  water  the  horse,  although  the  danger  from  wild  beasts 
could  not  but  be  greatly  increased  by  the  presence  of  the  aque- 
ous element.  After  a  march  of  two  miles  more,  the  eveninp' 
being  very  dark,  we  thought  it  more  prudent  to  halt  for  the 
night ;  we  therefore  chose  a  small  place  free  from  wood,  put  our 
luggage,  camel,  horse,  and  sheep  in  the  middle,  and  assigned  to 
each  of  ourselves  one  of  the  corners,  where  we  were  to  keep  up 
a  fire.    We  had,  however,  scarcely  begun  to  look  around  the 


496 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


neighborhood  for  dry  lire-wood,  when  the  tumultuous  cries  of 
wikl  beasts  broke  forth  from  different  quarters  of  the  dense  for- 
est, and  I  was  obliged  to  lire  some  shots  before  we  were  able  to 
light  a  moderate  tire,  when,  throwing  the  tire-brands  before  us 
as  we  proceeded,  we  wxre  enabled  to  collect  a  tolerable  quantity 
of  dry  wood.  However,  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  I  pre- 
vailed upon  my  young  and  inexperienced  companions  to  make 
up  their  minds  to  keep  alternate  watches  during  the  night,  and 
keep  up  the  fires,  more  especially  as,  on  account  of  a  northeast 
wind  which  had  sprung  up  about  midnight,  the  wood  was  rap- 
idly consumed. 

I  had  prudently  provided  myself  with  a  number  of  cartridges, 
when  I  was  suddenly  startled  by  the  rushing  in  of  two  hyenas, 
which  seemed  to  have  silently  approached  under  cover  of  the 
wood,  and  almost  succeeded  in  carrying  off  our  sheep.  But  one 
of  them  paid  with  its  life  for  its  audacity ;  and  now  throwing 
fire-brands,  then  firing  a  shot,  we  succeeded  in  keeping  the  wild 
beasts  at  a  respectful  distance  during  the  remainder  of  our  rest- 
less halt  here. 

Early  in  the  morning  we  arose  in  order  to  pursue  our  march, 
when,  on  removing  our  luggage,  we  found  five  scorpions  under 
our  leather  bags  ;  they  had  most  probably  been  attracted  by 
the  heat  of  our  fires,  as  in  general  this  animal  is  not  go  frequent 
after  the  ground  has  been  wetted  by  the  rains.  As  we  pro- 
ceeded the  forest  became  clearer,  and  my  Shuwa  lad  called  my 
attention  to  the  curious  circumstance  that  the  "  dib,"  which  is 
very  frequent  in  these  regions,  always  deposits  its  excrements 
on  the  clean  white  spot  of  an  ant-hill.  The  rain  appeared  to 
have  been  very  considerable ;  and  about  a  mile  further  on  we 
passed  a  good  sized  pond,  and  a  little  further  another  of  still 
larger  size,  producing  all  around  a  profusion  of  grass  of  the 
richest  verdure.  The  soil  here  consisted  of  hard  clay,  and  the 
vegetation  was  varied ;  but  gradually  the  forest  was  succeeded 
by  extensive  cultivation,  which  announced  our  approach  to  a 
considerable  place. 

I  had  been  well  aware  myself  that  we  had  left  the  road  to 
Jogode  a  long  distance  on  our  right,  but  I  was  greatly  annoy- 


KO'KOROCHE'. 


497 


cd  when  I  heard  from  the  people  who  met  us  on  the  path  that 
this  village  was  Kokoroche,  the  very  place  which  we  had  passed 
on  our  road  from  Mele  to  Bugoman.  Convinced,  therefore,  that 
I  should  be  obliged  to  touch  once  more  at  the  former  village,  1 
liad  a  sad  foreboding  that  I  should  meet  with  some  unpleasant 
occurrence,  and  that  it  might  not  be  my  destiny  to  leave  this 
country  as  yet.  However,  I  made  up  my  mind,  and  prepared 
myself  for  whatever  might  happen. 

The  country  assumed  a  more  genial  aspect ;  and  we  reached 
a  very  extensive  sheet  of  water,  apparently  of  considerable  depth, 
and  adorned  all  around  by  fine  spreading  trees.  Numbers  of 
women  were  proceeding  from  the  neighboring  village  to  fetch 
water.  Having  provided  ourselves  with  a  supply,  we  proceeded 
onward,  and  halted  in  the  shade  of  a  fine  "hajilij,"  in  sight  of 
the  village.  Numbers  of  cattle  and  asses  were  seen  all  around, 
and  testified  to  the  prosperity  of  the  inhabitants.  Kokoroche 
is  an  important  place  in  the  economy  of  this  country  ;  for  it  is 
this  place,  together  with  Bugoman,  which  furnishes  the  capital 
with  the  greatest  supply  of  millet. 

Determined  to  put  a  bold  face  upon  matters,  I  ordered  my 
people  to  slaughter  the  sheep,  and  made  myself  as  comfortable 
as  possible,  spreading  my  carpet,  damaged  as  it  was  by  the  ants 
in  Bakada,  upon  the  ground,  and  assuming  the  appearance  of 
being  quite  at  my  ease.  At  that  time  I  was  not  aware  that  in 
this  country  none  but  the  sultan  and  a  few  high  dignitaries  were 
allowed  to  sit  on  a  carpet.  AVhile  the  meat  was  cooking  on 
the  fire,  and  holding  out  the  promise  of  some  unwonted  luxury, 
I  received  a  visit  from  the  father-in-law  of  Grema  'Abdu,  my 
host  in  Mustafaji,  and  his  appearance  and  hints  confirmed  my 
unfavorable  anticipations.  I  related  to  him  wliat  had  happened 
to  me  since  I  left  him — that  the  Governor  of  Bugoman  had  re- 
fused to  receive  me  into  his  town,  and  that  I  hajd  remained 
eighteen  days  in  Bakada,  waiting  in  vain  for  an  order  to  be  al- 
lowed to  enter  the  capital.  I  showed  him  my  carpet,  and  told 
him  how  it  had  been  half  devoured  by  the  ants,  and  how  we 
liad  suffered  from  want  of  sufficient  food  and  shelter  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  rainy  season.    He  was  very  sorry  that  I  had  not 

Vol.  IL~I  i 


498 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


been  treated  with  more  regard ;  but  he  expressed  his  opinion 
that  the  lieutenant  governor  would  not  allow  me  to  leave  the 
country  in  such  a  way. 

Unfortunately,  this  man  was  not  open  enough  to  confess  to 
me  that  messengers  from  the  capital  had  already  arrived  ;  nei- 
ther did  the  billama,  or  rather  " goUennange"  or  "gar,"  as  he 
is  here  called — the  head  man  of  the  village,  who  arrived  with,  a 
numerous  host  of  people  just  as  I  was  about  to  start — give  me 
any  hint  about  it.  Whether  he  came  with  the  intention  of 
keeping  me  back,  and  was  afraid  of  executing  his  design,  I  do 
not  know.  In  any  case,  it  would  have  been  far  more  agreeable 
to  me  if  my  fate  had  been  decided  here  instead  of  at  ]\Iele.  As 
it  was,  he  sent  one  of  his  people  wuth  me  to  show  me  the  track 
to  the  river,  and  I  started  about  an  hour  after  noon. 

Considerable  showers,  which  had  fallen  here  seven  days  pre- 
viously, had  changed  the  dry  character  of  the  country,  and  re- 
vived its  luxuriant  nature.  The  whole  district  presented  the 
cheerful  aspect  of  spring.  Fresh  meadow-lands  spread  out ;  and 
we  passed  some  extensive  sheets  of  water,  bordered  by  undu- 
lating banks  in  the  freshest  verdure.  We  passed  several  vil- 
lages, among  which  one,  called  ]\Iai-Dala,  was  distinguished  by 
its  neat  appearance,  most  of  the  huts  having  been  recently 
thatched,  to  protect  them  against  the  rains.  In  the  forest  which 
intervened,  dum-bushes  and  dum-palms,  here  called  "kolongo," 
attracted  my  attention,  on  account  of  the  wude  range  this  plant 
occupies  in  Central  Africa,  while  it  was  erroneously  believed  to 
belong  exclusively  to  Upper  Egypt.  Having  passed  the  shal- 
low water  of  Ambusada,  where  numbers  of  the  blue-feathered 
bird,  here  called  "delluk,"  with  red  feet,  were  splashing  about, 
we  again  approached  the  inauspicious  village  where  I  had  first 
set  my  foot  in  this  country. 

Here  also,  during  the  short  time  I  had  been  absent,  a  great 
change  had  taken  place.  The  ground  was  being  cleared,  in  or- 
der to  prepare  it  for  the  labors  of  the  rainy  season ;  and  the 
bushes  and  trunks  of  trees  were  burned,  in  order  to  render  the 
soil  more  productive  by  means  of  the  fertilizing  power  of  the 
ashes.    We  had  not  before  passed  so  closely  to  the  river;  and 


ME'LE'  AGAIN. 


499 


I  was  astonished  'at  the  immense  size  of  the  ant-hills,  which 
were  not  of  the  ordinary  kind,  such  as  they  are  seen  in  general, 
rising  in  steep  conical  peaks,  but  rather  like  those  which  I  had 
seen  near  the  Benuwe,  but  of  larger  proportions,  and  rising  to 
an  elevation  of  from  30  to  40  feet,  and  sloping  very  gradually, 
so  that  their  circumference  at  the  base  in  some  cases  measured 
more  than  200  feet.  The  village  itself  had  meanwhile  changed 
its  character,  owing  to  the  number  of  new  huts  which  had  been 
erected  on  account  of  the  approach  of  the  rainy  season,  and  the 
old  ones  having  received  a  new  thatching.  All  these  new  struc- 
tures consisted  of  reed  and  matting,  but  nevertheless  it  had  a 
neat  and  cheerful  appearance.  As  I  entered  the  village  I  was 
saluted  by  the  inhabitants  as  an  old  acquaintance,  and  pitched 
my  tent  quietly  on  the  former  spot. 

April  l^th.  This  was  a  memorable  day  to  me,  destined  to 
teach  me  a  larger  share  of  stubborn  endurance.  Having  passed 
a  quiet  night,  I  began  early  to  speak  to  the  head  man  of  the 
village  about  crossing  the  river,  making  him  at  the  same  time  a 
small  present.  In  Bagirmi  also,  as  well  as  in  Logon  and  other 
parts  of  Negroland,  there  is  a  separate  officer  for  the  river-com- 
munication. This  officer,  who  in  Bagirmi  bears  the  title  of  ali- 
fa-ba  ("  keman-komadugube"  or  "officer  of  the  river"),  has  an 
agent  or  kashella  in  every  village  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
where  there  is  a  ferry ;  and  this  agent  was  absent  at  the  time. 
Meanwhile  I  was  conversing  with  several  of  my  former  friends, 
and,  among  others,  met  an  inhabitant  of  Jogode,  who  regretted 
extremely  that  I  had  missed  my  road  to  that  place,  as  I  should 
have  been  well  treated  there,  and  forwarded  on  my  journey 
without  obstacle,  almost  all  of  the  inhabitants  being  Kanuri. 
The  governor  of  that  place,  who,  like  that  of  Moito,  bears  the 
title  of  "alifa,"  had  left,  as  this  man  informed  me,  in  order  to 
join  the  sultan  on  the  expedition. 

While  I  was  thus  conversing,  the  head  man  of  the  village 
suddenly  came  to  my  tent,  and  informed  me  that  messengers  had 
arrived  from  the  lieutenant  governor  in  order  to  prevent  my  pro- 
ceeding; and  upon  his  asking  me  what  I  intended  to  do,  I  told 
him  that  I  would  divide  tlie  time  which  I  should  be  obliged  to 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


wait  between  this  place,  Jogode,  and  Klesem,  but  that,  if  I  should 
be  compelled  to  wait  too  long,  I  should  feel  rather  inclined  to 
return  to  Logon.  They  rejected  my  proposal,  and  requested 
that  I  should  stay  in  Mele,  saying  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
village  had  promised  to  supply  me  with  rice  and  fish,  and  that 
T  ought  not  to  stir  from  here.  While  I  was  quietly  expostu- 
lating with  him  upon  this  treatment,  telling  him  that  this  w^as 
almost  impossible,  the  place  being  too  badly  provided,  and  that 
they  might  at  least  allow  me  to  remain  half  the  time  in  the 
neighboring  village  of  Klesem,  gradually  more  and  more  people 
entered  my  tent,  and,  suddenly  seizing  me,  put  my  feet  in  irons. 

Perhaps  the  unexpectedness  of  such  an  occurrence  was  rather 
fortunate,  for  if  I  had  in  the  least  divined  their  purpose,  I  might 
have  made  use  of  my  arms ;  but,  taken  by  surprise  and  over- 
powered as  I  was,  I  resigned  myself  in  patience,  and  did  not 
speak  a  word.  The  people  not  only  carried  away  my  arms,  but 
also  all  my  luggage ;  and,  what  grieved  me  most,  they  seized 
jny  chronometer,  compass,  and  journal.  Having  then  taken 
down  my  tent,  they  carried  me  to  an  open  shed,  where  I  was 
guarded  by  two  servants  of  the  lieutenant  governor. 

After  all  this  trying  treatment,  I  had  still  to  hear  a  moral 
lecture  given  me  by  one  of  these  half  pagans,  who  exhorted  me 
to  bear  my  fate  with  patience,  for  all  came  from  God. 

Even  my  servants  at  first  were  put  in  irons ;  but  when  they 
protested  that  if  they  were  not  set  at  liberty  I  should  have  no- 
body to  serve  me,  their  fetters  were  taken  off,  and  they  came 
faithfully  to  me  to  soothe  my  misfortune.  In  the  evening  the 
slave  of  the  alifa-ba  mounted  my  horse,  and,  taking  one  of  my 
pistols  with  him,  rode  off  to  iMas-eiia. 

Having  remained  silently  in  the  place  assigned  to  me  till  the 
evening,  I  ordered  my  servants  to  demand  my  tent  back,  and  to 
pitch  it  in  the  old  place ;  and,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  my  re- 
quest was  granted.  Thus  I  passed  the  four  following  days  qui- 
etly in  my  tent,  and,  although  fettered  like  a  slave,  resigned  to 
my  fate.  Fortunately,  I  had  ]\Iungo  Park's  first  journey  with 
me ;  and  I  could  never  have  enjoyed  the  account  of  his  suffer- 
ings among  the  Ludamar  (Welad-Aramer)  better  than  I  did  in 


AGAIN  SET  FREE. 


501 


such  a  situation,  and  did  not  fail  to  derive  from  his  example  a 
great  share  of  patience. 

It  was  in  this  situation  that,  while  reflecting  on  the  possibil- 
ity of  Europeans  civilizing  these  countries,  I  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  it  would  be  absolutely  necessary,  in  order  to  obtain 
the  desired  end,  to  colonize  the  most  favorable  tract  of  the  coun- 
try inclosed  by  the  Kwara,  the  Ben  awe,  and  the  River  Kadu- 
na,  and  thus  to  spread  commerce  and  civilization  in  all  directions 
into  the  very  heart  of  the  continent.  Thus  I  wrote  in  my  jour- 
nal :  "  This  is  the  only  means  to  answer  the  desired  end ;  ev- 
ery thing  else  is  vain." 

Ajpril  23<^.  While  lying  in  my  tent  in  the  course  of  the  even- 
ing, my  friend  from  Bakada,  Haj  Bu-Bakr  Sadik,  arrived  on  my 
horse,  and,  being  seized  with  indignation  at  the  sight  of  my  fet- 
ters, ordered  them  to  be  taken  off  without  delay.  I  begged  him 
to  forgive  me  for  having  regarded  myself  as  a  free  man,  and  not 
as  a  slave,  not  being  aware  of  the  real  nature  of  my  situation  in 
this  country.  He,  however,  praised  my  conduct  very  highly, 
saying  that  I  could  not  have  acted  otherwise  than  I  did,  and 
promising  that  I  should  now  enter  the  capital  without  further 
delay  of  any  kind. 

Remaining  cool  and  quiet  under  the  favorable  change  of  my 
circumstances,  I  thanked  Providence  for  having  freed  me  from 
this  unpleasant  situation,  regarding  it  in  tlie  light  of  a  useful 
lesson  for  future  occasions.  All  my  property  was  restored  to 
me,  even  my  arms,  with  the  exception  of  the  pistol  which  had 
been  taken  to  the  capital.  However,  the  following  day  I  had 
still  to  resign  myself  to  patience,  the  chief  servant  of  the  lieuten- 
ant governor  not  having  yet  arrived,  and  my  horse,  which  had 
made  the  journey  to  the  capital  and  back  with  great  speed, 
wanting  a  little  rest. 

Sunday,  April  2oth,  Early  in  the  morning  we  entered  upon 
our  march  once  more,  in  an  easterly  direction ;  and  although  I 
had  not  yet  experienced  very  kind  treatment  in  this  country,  1 
was  prepared  to  endure  every  thing  rather  than  to  forego  seeing 
the  capital ;  but  my  poor  servants  were  very  diiferently  dis- 
posed ;  for,  having  no  mental  interest,  they  felt  the  material  pri- 


502 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


rations  more  lieavily.  While  they  viewed  with  horror  our  pro- 
jected journey  eastward,  they  cast  a  melanclioly  look  on  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  river,  which  promised  them  freedom  from 
privation  as  well  as  from  vexation. 

It  was  now  for  the  fourth  time  that  I  was  passing  along  the 
banks  of  the  stream.  It  was  at  present  at  its  very  lowest  ba 
nedonge,"  as  the  Bagirmi  people  say),  having  sunk  a  foot  or  two 
since  I  first  saw  it,  and  having  laid  bare  a  much  larger  part  of 
the  sand-bank.  People  in  Europe  have  no  idea  of  the  situation 
of  a  solitary  traveler  in  these  regions.  If  I  had  been  able  to 
proceed  according  to  my  wishes,  my  road,  from  the  very  first 
moment  when  I  entered  the  country,  would  have  lain  straight 
along  the  course  of  this  mighty  river  toward  its  sources  ;  but  a 
traveler  in  these  countries  is  no  better  than  a  slave,  dependent 
upon  the  caprice  of  people  without  intelligence  and  full  of  sus- 
picion. All  that  I  could  expect  to  be  able  to  accomplish,  under 
present  circumstances,  was  to  obtain  distinct  information  con- 
cerning the  upper  course  of  the  river ;  for,  ardent  as  had  been 
my  desire  to  join  the  sultan  on  his  expedition,  from  all  that  I 
had  seen,  I  could  scarcely  expect  that  the  people  w^ould  allow 
me  to  go  to  any  distance. 

Our  march  the  first  day  was  rather  short,  for,  having  rested 
almost  six  hours,  during  the  heat  of  the  day,  in  a  village  called 
"  Kada-bakalay,"  we  went  only  three  miles  farther,  when  we 
encamped  in  another  village  called  "  Kada-marga,"  recently 
built,  where  the  inhabitants  of  the  deserted  village  of  the  same 
name,  which  on  our  return-journey  from  the  capital  w^e  passed 
in  the  forest,  had  taken  refuge.  The  village  had  a  neat  appear- 
ance, there  being  even  a  dyeing-place,  or  "bukko  almbe it 
was  also  enlivened  by  several  tame  ostriches.  The  well,  with 
a  depth  of  from  ten  to  tw^elve  fathoms,  contained  a  rich  supply 
of  water,  but  of  bad  quality. 

The  next  day  we  made  up  for  our  loss  of  time,  and  only 
stopped  for  the  night  about  a  couple  of  miles  beyond  Bakada : 
for,  notwithstanding  my  esteem  for  Bu-Bakr  Sadik,  I  refused  to 
make  any  stay  in,  or  even  to  enter  the  place  where  I  had  been 
kept  back  so  long  a  time.    The  wooded  wilderness  had  become 


ARRIVAL  AT  THE  CAPITAL. 


503 


prepared  by  the  rains  to  receive  its  temporary  inhabitants,  the 
Shuwa ;  and  the  well  of  Bakada,  for  the  use  of  which  I  had 
been  obliged  to  pay  so  many  needles,  was  left  to  decay. 

Tuesday^  April  21th.  AVe  set  out  early  in  the  morning,  in 
order  to  reach  at  length  the  final  object  of  our  journey  before 
the  heat  of  the  day.  The  country  was  well  cultivated,  and  the 
fields  of  native  corn  were  here  also  laid  out  in  ridges,  or  "  de- 
raba."  Trees  were  scattered  in  all  directions,  principally  talha 
and  hajilij.  The  soil  consisted  of  sand,  but  was  succeeded  far- 
ther on  by  clay,  forming  several  large  basins,  where,  later  in  the 
rainy  season,  extensive  ponds  are  formed.  Here  the  country 
was  enlivened  by  fine  tamarind-trees,  besides  a  few  specimens 
of  the  dum-palm.  We  then  entered  a  district  rich  in  herbage, 
and  well  adapted  for  cattle-breeding.  Shuwa  and  Fellata  for- 
eigners were  living  here  (as  they  generally  do)  together  on  friend- 
ly terms,  as  the  similarity  of  manners  of  these  two  distinct 
tribes,  notwithstanding  their  different  origin  and  totally  distinct 
language,  has  brought  them  every  where  into  the  closest  con- 
nection, and  has  facilitated  in  a  remarkable  manner  the  spread- 
ing of  the  latter  race  over  so  large  an  extent  of  Central  Africa. 
The  huts  of  these  cattle-breeders  are  very  different  from  those 
of  the  native  settlers,  being  far  more  spacious,  in  order  to  admit 
the  cattle,  and  having  the  roofs  thatched  in  a  very  light  and 
negligent  manner,  as  they  usually  change  their  dwelling-places 
with  the  season,  and  therefore  do  not  choose  to  bestow  much  la- 
bor upon  them. 

As  we  were  proceeding  onward  we  suddenly  obtained  a  view 
over  a  green,  open  depression,  clad  with  the  finest  verdure,  and 
interspersed  with  the  ruins  of  clay  houses.  This,  then,  was 
Mas-ena,  the  capital.  It  presented  the  same  ruined  appearance 
as  the  rest  of  the  country. 

The  town  was  formerly  much  larger,  and  the  wall  had  been 
carried  back,  but  it  was  still  far  too  large  for  the  town,  and  in 
the  utmost  state  of  decay.  Euined  by  a  most  disastrous  civil 
war,  and  trodden  down  by  its  neighbors,  the  country  of  Bagir- 
mi  seems  to  linger  till  it  is  destined  either  to  rise  again,  or  to 
fall  a  prey  to  the  first  invader. 


504 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


However,  I  was  not  allowed  to  enter  the  lioly  precinct  of  ihh'^ 
ruined  capital  without  further  annoyance  ;  for,  being  obliged  to 
send  a  message  to  the  lieutenant  governor  announcing  my  arri- 
val, I  was  made  to  wait  more  than  an  hour  and  a  half  outside 
the  gate,  although  there  was  not  the  least  shade.  I  was  then 
allowed  to  make  my  humble  entrance.  Only  a  few  human  be- 
ings were  to  be  seen,  and  open  pasture-grounds  extended  to  a 
considerable  distance,  principally  on  the  right  side  toward  the 
south.  We  then  entered  the  inhabited  quarter,  and  I  was 
lodged  in  a  clay  house  standing  in  an  open  court-yard,  which 
was  likewise  fenced  by  a  low  clay  wall.  The  house  contained 
an  airy  front  room  well  suited  to  my  taste,  and  four  small  cham- 
bers at  the  back,  which  were  certainly  not  very  airy,  but  were 
useful  for  stowing  away  luggage  and  provisions. 

I  had  scarcely  taken  possession  of  my  quarters  when  num- 
bers of  people  came  to  salute  me  on  the  part  of  the  lieutenant 
governor,  and  a  short  time  afterward  a  confidential  slave  of  his 
made  his  appearance,  to  whom  I  delivered  my  presents,  consist- 
ing of  a  piece  of  printed  Manchester  cotton  sufficient  for  a  tobe, 
an  Egyptian  shawl,  several  kinds  of  odoriferous  essences,  such 
as  "makhbil,"  the  fruit  of  a  species  of  tilia,  "luban"  or  ben- 
zoin, and  a  considerable  quantity  of  sandal-wood,  which  is  great- 
ly esteemed  in  the  countries  of  Negroland  east  of  Bornu.  While 
delivering  these  presents,  and  presenting  my  humble  compli- 
ments, I  declared  myself  unable  to  pay  my  respects  personally 
to  the  lieutenant  governor  unless  he  restored  my  pistol,  which 
was  all  that  was  wanting  of  the  things  which  had  been  taken 
from  me  at  Mele ;  and,  after  some  negotiation,  it  was  agreed 
upon  that  he  should  deliver  to  me  the  pistol  as  soon  as  I  pre- 
sented myself,  without  my  even  saying  a  word  about  it. 

I  therefore  went  in  the  afternoon  with  Bu-Bakr  to  see  him, 
and  found  a  rather  affable  man,  a  little  beyond  middle  age,  sim- 
ply dressed  in  a  dark  blue  tobe,  which  had  lost  a  good  deal  of 
its  former  lustre.  Having  saluted  him,  I  explained  to  him  how 
improper  treatment  and  want  of  sufficient  food  had  induced  me 
to  retrace  my  steps,  after  having  convinced  myself  that  I  was 
not  welcome  in  the  country  ;  for  I  assured  him  that  it  was  our 


EXCLTSE  FOR  INCIVILITY.— VISITORS. 


505 


utmost  desire  to  be  friends  with  all  the  princes  of  the  earth, 
and  to  make  them  acquainted  with  us,  and  that,  although  I  had 
known  that  the  ruler  of  the  country  himself  was  absent,  I  had 
not  hesitated  in  paying  them  a  visit,  as  I  had  been  given  to  un- 
derstand that  it  would  be  possible  to  join  him  in  the  expedition. 
He  excused  his  countrymen  on  the  ground  that  they,  not  being 
acquainted  with  our  character,  had  treated  me  as  they  would 
have  done  a  person  belonging  to  their  own  tribe  v\'ho  had  trans- 
gressed the  rules  of  the  country.  He  then  restored  me  my  pis- 
tol before  all  the  people,  and  desired  me  to  await  patiently  the 
arrival  of  the  sultan. 

The  ruler  of  the  country,  together  with  the  principal  men,  be- 
ing absent,  the  place  presented  at  that  time  a  more  quiet,  or, 
rather,  dull  appearance  than  it  does  in  general ;  and  when  I 
took  my  first  walk  through  the  town,  I  was  struck  with  the  as- 
pect of  solitude  which  presented  itself  to  the  eye  on  all  sides. 
Fortunately,  there  was  one  man  in  the  town  whose  society  and 
conversation  were  a  relief  to  my  mind. 

I  was  reclining  in  the  afternoon  upon  my  simple  couch,  oc- 
cupied in  reading,  when  I  received  a  visit  from  three  persons. 
One  of  them  was  a  man  of  apparently  Negro  origin,  showing,  by 
his  wrinkled  countenance,  a  career  of  trouble  and  misfortune,  but 
having  otherwise  nothing  very  remarkable  about  him.  It  was 
Haj  A^hmed,  of  Banibara  origin,  and  formerly  an  inhabitant  of 
Tawat,  but  who,  after  a  number  of  vicissitudes,  having  first  been 
employed  in  the  gold  diggings  of  Bambuk,  and  afterward  been 
engaged  on  small  trading  expeditions  from  Tawat  to  Timbuktu 
(where  he  had  been  twice  robbed  by  the  Tawarek),  and  from 
the  same  place  to  A^gades  and  Kano,  had  at  last  settled  at  ^le- 
dina.  From  thence  he  had  accompanied  the  warlike  expedition 
of  I'brahim  Baslia,  had  fought  in  the  battles  of  'Akka  and  De- 
raije,  and  had  been  sent  on  several  journeys  as  far  as  Basra  and 
Baghdad,  and  at  present,  being  employed  as  servant  at  the  great 
mosque,  had  been  dispatched  to  this  country  in  order  to  obtain 
from  its  sultan  a  present  of  eunuchs  for  the  temple  of  Medina. 
The  second  was  a  venerable-looking  man,  with  a  fine  counte- 
nance, and  a  bushy,  half-silvery  beard.  This  man  was  the  relig- 
ious chief  of  Bidderi,  a  place  of  which  I  shall  speak  hereafter. 


506 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


The  third  visitor  was  Faki  Sambo,  a  very  tall  and  slender 
rullo,  with  a  scanty  beard  and  an  expressive  countenance,  ex- 
cept tiiat  it  lacked  the  most  important  feature  which  enlivens 
the  human  face,  he  being  totally  blind.  At  that  time,  however, 
I  did  not  know  him,  although,  when  I  heard  him  convey  a  con- 
siderable degree  of  knowledge  in  a  lively  and  impressive  man- 
ner, I  almost  suspected  he  might  be  the  man  of  whom  I  had 
heard  so  much.  I  was  puzzled,  however,  at  his  first  question, 
which  was  whether  the  Christians  did  not  belong  to  the  Beni 
Fsr'ayi'l — that  is  to  say,  to  the  Jews. 

This  was  the  first  conversation  I  had  with  this  man,  who 
alone  contributed  to  make  my  stay  in  the  place  endurable.  I 
could  scarcely  have  expected  to  find  in  this  out-of-the-way  place 
a  man  not  only  versed  in  all  the  branches  of  Arabic  literature, 
but  who  had  even  read  (nay,  possessed  a  manuscript  of)  those 
portions  of  Aristotle  and  Plato  which  had  been  translated  into, 
or  rather  Mohammedanized  in  Arabic,  and  who  possessed  the 
most  intimate  knowledge  of  the  countries  which  he  had  visited. 
His  forefathers,  belonging  to  that  tribe  of  the  Fulbe  which  is 
called  Fittobe,  had  emigrated  into  the  southern  parts  of  Waday, 
where  they  settled  in  the  village  of  Barekalla.  When  he  was  a 
young  man,  his  father,  who  himself  possessed  a  good  denl  of 
learning,  and  who  had  written  a  work  on  Hausa,  had  sent  him 
to  Egypt,  w^here  lie  had  studied  many  years  in  the  mosque  of 
El  Adzhar.  It  had  been  his  intention  to  go  to  the  town  of  Ze- 
bi'd,  in  Yemen,  which  is  famous  among  the  Arabs  on  account 
of  the  science  of  logarithms,  or  el  hesab;  but  when  he  had 
reached  Gunfuda,  the  war  which  was  raging  between  the  Turks 
and  the  Wahabiye  had  thwarted  his  projects,  and  he  had  re- 
turned to  Dar-Fur,  wdiere  he  liad  settled  down  some  time,  and 
had  accompanied  a  memorable  expedition  to  the  southwest  as 
far  as  the  borders  of  a  large  river,  of  which  I  shall  have  another 
occasion  to  speak.  Having  tlien  returned  to  Waday,  he  had 
played  a  considerable  part  as  courtier  in  that  country,  especially 
during  the  reign  of  'Abd  el  'Aziz,  till  the  present  king,  Moham- 
med e'  Sherif,  on  account  of  his  intimate  relation  witli  the  prince 
just  mentioned,  had  driven  him  from  his  court  and  banished  him 
from  the  country. 


MOHAMMEDAN  LEARNING. 


507 


After  having  once  made  the  acquaintance  of  this  man,  I  used 
to  visit  him  daily,  and  he  was  always  delighted  to  see,  or  rath- 
er to  hear  me,  for  he  had  nobody  with  whom  he  could  talk  about 
the  splendor  and  achievements  of  the  Khalifat,  from  Baghdad  to 
A^ndalos  (Spain) — particularly  of  the  latter  country,  with  the 
history  of  whose  towns,  kings,  and  literary  men  he  was  intimate- 
ly acquainted.  He  listened  with  delight  when  I  once  mentioned 
the  astrolabe  or  sextant,  and  he  informed  me  with  pride  that 
his  father  had  been  in  possession  of  such  an  instrument,  but 
that  for  the  last  twenty  years  he  had  not  met  a  single  person 
who  knew  what  sort  of  thing  an  astrolabe  was. 

He  was  a  very  enlightened  man,  and  in  his  inmost  soul  a  Wa- 
habi ;  and  he  gave  me  the  same  name,  on  account  of  my  prin- 
ciples. I  shall  never  forget  the  hours  I  passed  in  cheerful  and 
instructive  conversation  with  this  man  ;  for  the  more  unexpect- 
ed the  gratification  was,  the  greater,  naturally,  was  the  impres- 
sion which  it  made  upon  me.  Unluckily,  he  died  about  a  year 
after  I  left  the  country.  In  general  it  was  I  who  called  upon 
him,  v/hen  he  used  to  treat  me  with  a  very  good  cold  rice  pud- 
ding, and  with  dates  from  Kanem,  which  were  rather  of  an  in- 
ferior description  ;  but  when  he  came  to  me,  I  used  to  regale 
Iiim  w^ith  a  cup  of  coffee,  which  was  a  great  treat  to  him,  carry- 
ing him  l^ack  to  more  civilized  regions,  and  he  never  omitted  to 
press  the  cup  to  each  of  his  temples.  The  only  drawback  to  my 
intercourse  with  this  man  was  that  he  was  as  anxious  to  obtain 
information  of  me  with  regard  to  the  countries  of  the  Christians, 
and  those  parts  of  the  world  with  which  he  was  less  acquainted, 
as  I  ^vas  to  be  instructed  by  him  ;  besides  that,  he  had  a  great 
deal  of  business,  being  occupied  with  the  Shen'y'a  or  ]\Ioham- 
medan  law.  He  had  a  singular  predilection  for  emetics  ;  and 
he  begged  me  so  urgently  to  favor  him  with  this  treat,  that  in 
the  course  of  a  few  weeks  I  gave  him  more  than  half  a  dozen  for 
liimself,  besides  those  I  was  obliged  to  supply  to  his  family. 
He  suffered  from  bilious  affections,  and  thought  that  emetics 
were  the  best  remedies  in  the  wwld. 

Besides  this  man  and  Haj  A'hmed,  the  man  with  whom  I 
had  most  frequent  intercourse  during  my  stay  in  this  country 


508 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


was  Sliman,  a  traveling  Arab  siierif,  as  lie  called  himself,  but  in 
reality  a  Fellah,  a  native  of  Egypt,  at  present  settled  in  Mekka, 
who  had  roved  about  a  great  deal,  was  very  polite  in  his  man- 
ners, and,  although  not  a  very  learned  man,  possessed  a  certain 
degree  of  general  information,  especially  w^ith  regard  to  the  coun- 
tries of  Waday  and  Dar-Fur  (where  he  had  made  a  longer  stay), 
and,  having  been  assisted  on  his  journey  to  Constantinople  by 
Mr.  Brand  (her  majesty's  consul  at  Smyrna),  had  a  certain  de- 
gree of  attachment  to  Europeans. 

But  the  greatest  amount  of  information  which  I  obtained, 
principally  with  regard  to  the  country  of  Waday,  proceeded  from 
a  young  native  of  that  country  of  the  name  of  I  brahim  (the 
faki  Pbrahim),  of  the  tribe  of  A^bu  Sharib,  with  whom  I  passed 
several  hours  every  day  very  pleasantly  and  usefully,  and  who 
attached  himself  so  much  to  my  person  that  I  would  freely  have 
taken  him  with  me  to  Sokoto,  where  he  wanted  to  go  in  order 
to  improve  his  learning  under  the  tuition  of  the  Fulbe. 

My  relations  w^ith  the  lieutenant  governor  were  rather  cool ; 
and,  after  he  had  given  me  a  first  treat,  he  left  me  for  some  days 
without  any  sign  of  hospitality,  except  that  he  once  sent  me  a 
quantity  of  the  fruit  of  the  bito-tree  or  hajilij,  which  I  returned. 
He  was  a  man  without  much  intelligence,  and  had  no  idea  of 
the  scientific  researches  of  a  European. 

Having  but  little  exercise,  I  became  very  ill  toward  the  end 
of  this  month,  so  that  I  thought  it  prudent  to  abstain  entirely 
from  food  for  five  days,  living  exclusively  upon  an  infusion  of 
the  fruit  of  the  tamarind-tree  and  onions,  seasoned  with  some 
honey  and  a  strong  dose  of  black  pepper — a  sort  of  drink  which 
must  appear  abominable  to  the  European,  but  which  is  a  delight- 
ful treat  to  the  feverish  traveler  in  those  hot  regions.  Con- 
vinced that  my  stay  in  this  place,  if  I  were  not  allowed  to  travel 
about,  would  be  too  trying  for  my  constitution,  I  requested  the 
lieutenant  governor  to  allow^  me  to  retrace  my  steps  westward ; 
but  he  w^ould  not  consent,  upon  any  condition  whatever,  that  1 
should  stir  from  the  place. 

This  unfavorable  disposition  toward  me  assumed  by  degrees  a 
more  serious  character,  as,  being  unable  to  understand  my  pur- 


SUSPECTED  TO  BE  A  KAIN-MAKER. 


509 


suits,  he  could  not  but  become  suspicious  of  wliat  I  was  doing. 
On  the  21st  of  June,  when  I  was  quietly  sitting  in  my  house, 
one  of  his  servants,  Agid  Musa,  who  was  well  disposed  toward 
me,  and  who  used  to  call  occasionally,  suddenly  made  his  ap- 
pearance with  a  very  serious  countenance,  and,  after  some  hesi- 
tation and  a  few  introductory  remarks,  delivered  a  message 
from  the  governor  to  the  following  effect.  He  wanted  to  know 
from  me  whether  it  was  true  (as  was  rumored  in  the  town,  and 
as  the  people  had  told  him)  that,  as  soon  as  a  thunder-storm 
was  gathering,  and  when  the  clouds  appeared  in  the  sky,  I  went 
out  of  my  house  and  made  the  clouds  withdraw ;  for  they  had 
assured  him  that  they  had  repeatedly  noticed  that,  as  soon  as  I 
looked  at  the  clouds  with  a  certain  air  of  command,  they  passed 
by  without  bringing  a  single  drop  of  rain. 

However  serious  the  countenance  of  the  messenger  was,  the 
purport  of  his  message  was  so  absurdly  ridiculous  that  I  could 
not  help  breaking  out  into  a  loud  laugh,  highly  amused  at  the 
really  pagan  character  of  these  soi-disant  ]\Iohammedans ;  but 
my  friend  begged  me  to  regard  the  matter  in  a  more  serious 
light,  and  to  take  care  what  sort  of  answer  I  sent  to  his  master. 
I  then  begged  him  to  tell  the  governor  that  no  man,  either  by 
charm  or  by  prayer,  was  able  to  prevent  or  to  cause  rain,  but 
that  God  sent  rain  wherever  and  whenever  it  pleased  him.  I 
added,  however,  that  if  he  believed  my  presence  in  the  country 
was  causing  mischief,  he  might  allow  me  to  go ;  that  I  did  not 
desire  any  thing  better  than  that,  and  should  then  pray  night 
and  day  for  rain,  but  that  at  present  I  myself  could  not  wish  for 
much  rain,  as  I  was  afraid  lest  it  should  cut  off  my  retreat  by 
swelling  the  river  to  too  great  a  height. 

The  messenger  departed  with  my  answer,  and  returned  after 
a  while  with  the  idtimatum  of  the  governor,  to  the  effect  that  it 
was  his  own  opinion  that  no  human  being  was  able  to  prevent 
rain,  but  that  all  of  us  were  servants  of  the  Almighty,  and  that, 
as  they  were  praying  for  rain,  I  myself  should  add  my  prayer 
to  theirs ;  I  should  then  be  allowed,  at  the  proper  time,  to  de- 
part from  them  in  safety,  but  that,  if  I  was  ill-disposed  toward 
them,  lie  likewise  would  do  me  evil,  informing  me  at  the  same 


510 


TRAVELS  IN  ^VFRICA. 


time  tliat,  for  a  similar  reason,  they  had  once  killed  two  great 
relio-ioLis  chiefs  from  Bidderi. 

o 

Such  was  the  character  of  the  people  with  whom  I  had  to 
deal,  although  they  regarded  themselves  as  enlightened  Moham- 
medans. In  order  to  show  his  good  disposition,  or  most  prob- 
ably rather  in  order  to  see  whether  his  good  treatment  of  me 
would  have  any  effect  upon  the  amount  of  rain  (as  he  seemed  to 
take  me  for  a  "  king  of  the  high  regions"),  he  sent  me  in  the 
evening  a  dish  of  an  excellent  pudding,  with  plenty  of  butter, 
and  a  small  pot  of  medide,  or  gruel  seasoned  with  the  fruit  of 
the  dum-palm,  and  even  promised  me  corn  for  my  horse  ;  but, 
as  I  did  not  send  him  rain  in  return,  as  he  seemed  to  have  ex- 
pected, his  hospitality  did  not  extend  farther. 

It  had  been  my  custom,  when  a  thunder-storm  was  gather- 
ing, to  look  out,  in  order  to  see  from  what  quarter  it  was  pro- 
ceeding, which  is  a  question  of  great  interest  in  these  regions ; 
but  the  absurd  superstition  of  these  people  so  alarmed  me  that 
I  scarcely  dared  to  do  so  again.  With  regard  to  the  supersti- 
tion of  the  natives,  I  must  here  mention  a  case  wdiich  happened 
to  my  friend  Sambo.  One  day,  while  I  was  engaged  in  earnest 
talk  with  him  respecting  the  many  sects  of  Islam,  our  conversa- 
tion was  suddenly  interrupted  by  one  of  the  daughters  of  the 
sultan  entering  abruptly,  and  accusing  my  friend,  in  the  most 
offensive  terms,  of  having  abstracted  from  her,  by  his  witchcraft, 
one  of  her  slaves.  But  it  was  rather  astonishing  that  a  man 
with  so  vast  an  amount  of  learning  was  allowed  to  live  at  all 
in  the  midst  of  such  barbarians  as  these  without  being  continu- 
ally suspected  of  sorcery  and  witchcraft.  I  shall  not  forget  the 
day  when  I  went  to  call  on  my  friend,  and  found  the  unfortu- 
nate blind  old  man  sitting  in  his  court-yard,  in  the  midst  of  a 
heap  of  manuscripts  which  he  could  then  only  enjoy  by  touch- 
ing them  with  his  hands.  Involuntarily  I  was  reminded  of  a 
saying  of  Jackson's,  that  the  time  would  come  when  the  texts 
of  the  classics  would  be  emendated  from  manuscripts  brought 
from  the  interior  of  Negroland.*  From  the  very  beginning, 
when  I  became  aware  of  the  character  of  these  people,  I  had 

Jackson's  Account  of  Morocco,  [).  100. 


BECOMING  A  RETAIL  DEALER. 


511 


taken  tlie  greatest  precautions  ;  and  hearing  that  the  privilege 
of  using  a  carpet  was  restricted  to  certain  officers,  I  had  stow- 
ed my  old  carpet  away,  although  my  couch,  being  on  the  bare 
ground,  was  not  very  soft. 

The  market,  or  "  kasku,"*  occupied  a  great  deal  of  my  time 
and  of  my  thoughts  during  my  monotonous  stay  in  this  place, 
not  so  much  on  account  of  its  importance  as  of  my  own  pover- 
ty, as  I  was  compelled  to  become  a  retail  dealer  on  the  small- 
est scale  ;  for,  hardly  possessing  any  thing  except  a  small  quan- 
tity of  needles,  I  was  obliged  to  send  one  of  my  servants  daily 
to  the  market,  in  order  to  endeavor,  by  means  of  that  very  tri- 
fling article  of  European  industry,  to  obtain  the  currency  of  the 
country.  The  currency  of  Bagirmi  consists  in  strips  of  cotton, 
or  farda,  like  those  which  I  have  described  on  my  journey  to 
A^damawa — of  very  irregular  measures,  longer  or  shorter,  in 
general  of  two  "  dr'a"  length  and  a  hand  in  width — but  of  very 
different  quality.  Larger  articles  are  bought  and  sold  with 
shirts,  *'khalag"  {pi.  kholgan)  as  they  are  called  by  the  Arabs, 
*'bor'  as  they  are  called  by  the  natives,  the  value  of  which, 
according  to  their  size  and  quality,  varies  from  70  to  150  farda. 
I  obtained  a  farda  for  one  large  English  darning-needle,  or  for 
four  common  German  needles,  but  afterward  I  doubled  the  price. 
Besides  these  I  had  very  little  left,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
looking-glasses  of  that  round  kind  which  are  sold  in  Lyons  for 
one  sou  each,  and  which  I  sold  here  for  the  high  price  of  one 
shirt  or  ''khalag,"  while  a  better  sort  of  looking-glass,  bought 
in  London  for  eightpence,  brought  four  khalag  or  kholgan, 
which  are  worth  about  a  dollar.     As  for  shells,  called  here 

keme-keme,"  they  have  no  currency  in  the  market,  but  form 
a  merchandise  by  themselves  as  an  article  of  export  into  the 
pagan  countries — at  least  those  of  larger  size,  which  are  in  great 
request  with  the  inhabitants  of  those  countries,  as  well  as  with 
the  Welad  Rashid,  it  being  said  that  2000  will  fetch  a  young 
slave  of  the  kind  called  "khomasi,"  and  3000  a  '*sedasi;"  for 

*  We  have  here  an  evident  proof  that  a  certain  defjree  of  civilization  spread 
from  Bornu  over  the  countries  to  tlie  east.  Kasku  is  a  slight  variation  of  the 
Kaniiri  word  "kasukii." 


\ 


512 


TRAVELS  m  AFRICA. 


those  simple  people  not  only  wear  these  shells  as  ornaments,  es- 
pecially the  women,  who  are  said  to  cover  their  hinder  parts 
with  them,  but  they  make  also  caps  of  them,  with  which  they 
adorn  the  heads  of  their  deceased  relations,  while  the  Welad 
Rasliid  adorn  principally  the  heads  of  their  camels  and  horses 
with  the  favorite  keme-keme,  or  "kemti,"  as  they  are  called  in 
Waday. 

Formerly  there  had  been  a  market  held  only  every  Thursday ; 
but  a  short  time  previous  to  my  arrival  the  people  had  found  it 
advantageous  to  have  a  market  every  day,  so  that  there  was  a 
daily  market  from  eight  in  the  morning  till  eleven  in  the  fore- 
noon, and  from  three  in  the  afternoon  till  sunset.  Of  course,  it 
was  not  very  well  supplied,  and  was  confined  to  the  mere  nec- 
essaries of  life,  the  greatest  luxury  it  contained  consisting  of 
onions,  an  article  which  is  not  to  be  procured  in  every  part  of 
Central  Africa.  At  first  they  were  very  cheap,  eight  being  sold 
for  a  farda ;  but  with  the  approach  of  the  rainy  season  they  in- 
creased in  price,  and  I  thought  it  prudent  to  lay  in  a  supply,  as 
I  found  this  article  extremely  conducive  to  my  health.  And  I 
would  advise  every  traveler  in  these  regions  to  be  always  pro- 
vided with  this  vegetable ;  for  they  may  be  either  used  for  sea- 
soning food,  or  cut  in  slices  and  mixed  with  tamarinds,  mak- 
ing, as  I  have  stated,  a  cool  and  refreshing  drink.  But  the 
black  natives,  as  I  have  already  mentioned  on  another  occasion, 
do  not,  in  general,  make  use  of  onions  for  seasoning  their  food, 
their  cultivation  having  been  introduced  into  the  country  by  the 
Arabs  from  the  north,  together  with  wheat.  But  the  native 
x\rabs,  or  Shiwa,  and  the  Arabs  from  the  coast,  or  Waseli,  use 
this  vegetable  to  a  great  extent,  as  well  for  seasoning  their  food 
as  for  medicine,  especially  in  case  of  fever,  small-pox,  and  ob- 
struction of  urine,  from  which  latter  inconvenience  they  suffer 
very  much,  in  consequence  of  their  marching  during  the  heat 
of  the  day. 

Besides  the  articles  above  mentioned,  the  commodity  most 
])lentiful  in  the  market  was  grain,  especially  Guinea  grain  or 
Pennisetum  typlioideum^  the  dealers  in  which  had  a  special 
place  assigned  to  them  in  tlie  nortliern  part  of  the  market,  under 


THE  MARKET. 


513 


a  fine  tamarind-tree  or  "  mas" — the  oldest  part  of  the  town — 
which  is  even  said  to  have  given  origin  to  the  name  ^las-ena, 
as  I  shall  have  occasion  to  describe  farther  on.  Besides  beans 
("monjo")  and  ground-nuts,  called  here  "wuli"  or  "buli,"  salt 
too  ("  kasa"),  owing  to  the  presence  of  the  Jelaba  from  Waday, 
some  of  whom  I  had  met  on  mj  road,  was  very  plentiful,  but 
it  was  only  sold  in  very  small  portions.  The  same  people  also 
sold  natron  (''ngillu"),  which  is  brought  by  the  Tebu  from  the 
border  of  the  desert.  Milk  ("si")  and  butter  ("  bugu")  were 
dear,  but  sour  milk  ("  si  chale")  in  abundance  ;  it  is  principally 
brought  into  the  town  by  the  daughters  of  the  Beni  Hassan. 
Honey  ("  teji"),  w^hich  in  many  countries  is  so  plentiful,  is 
scarcely  to  be  got  at  all.  There  were  always  a  few  head  of 
sheep  and  cattle,  and  sometimes  a  few  fowls  were  to  be  seen  ; 
occasionally  also  a  horse  of  indifferent  description  made  its  ap- 
pearance. Cotton  ("  iiyire")  was  rather  scarce,  and  I  did  not 
see  any  indigo,  "  alini."  Bed  pepper  ("  shita")  formed  a  pe- 
culiar article  of  commerce,  which  was  retailed  in  small  parcels 
by  the  Bornu  traders. 

The  most  important  and  almost  only  article  of  European 
produce  ("ngasan  Zaila")  consisted  of  beads,  called  "  munjo," 
especially  the  small  red  ones,  which  are  sold  here  in  great  quan- 
tities, and  exported  to  pagan  countries.  I  also  sold  a  few  of 
the  large  species,  called  "  nejum,"  of  which  the  Shuwa  are  very 
fond.  Calico,  called  here  "  shoter,''  is  a  great  rarity,  and  rather 
sold  privately  to  the  great  men  of  the  country.  Kano  manu- 
factures, called  here  " kalkobangri"  or  "ngasan  dego,"  form  a 
prominent  feature  in  the  statistics  of  this  market,  especially  tur- 
kedi  ("bolne"),  while  the  Kano  and  Nyffi  tobes,  called  "bol 
godani,"  can  only  with  difficulty  compete  with  the  native  man- 
ufacture, the  Bornu  people,  or,  rather,  the  Makari  or  Kotoko, 
having  introduced  into  the  country  the  art  of  dyeing.  No 
slaves  ("  beli")  were  brought  into  the  market,  all  being  sold  in 
the  houses — a  circumstance  which  seemed  to  indicate  a  certain 
feeling  of  decency ;  but  at  a  later  period  this  article  was  by  no 
means  wanting  in  the  market. 

Ivory  is  not  brought  into  the  market,  but  the  little  which  is 

Vol.  IL— K  k 


514 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


sold  is  disposed  of  in  the  houses ;  but  sometimes  the  Arabs 
wlio  visit  this  country  do  a  very  profitable  business  in  this  ar- 
ticle. The  price  of  horses  in  general  is  estimated  by  slaves, 
and  the  value  of  the  latter  is  very  low  in  this  country,  as  may 
be  inferred  from  what  I  have  said  above  respecting  the  small 
sum  paid  for  them  in  the  countries  toward  the  south ;  but  slaves 
exported  from  here  are  not  esteemed,  as  they  are  said  to  be 
more  subject  to  disease  than  those  from  other  countries,  and 
generally  die  in  a  very  short  time.  Female  slaves  certainly, 
natives  of  the  country  of  Bagirmi,  are  highly  esteemed  ;  but  as 
almost  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  country,  at  least  outwardly, 
profess  Islam,  very  few  are  at  present  sold  into  slavery,  while 
formerly  they  were  scattered  all  over  the  north  of  Africa,  in  Qon- 
sequence  of  the  great  slave-hunting  expeditions  of  the  Basha 
of  Fezzan.  The  Shuwa  or  Shiwa  generally  effect  their  pur- 
chases with  cows. 

Although  my  means  when  I  undertook  this  journey  were  ex- 
tremely small,  nevertheless  I  had  not  thought  it  impossible  that  I 
might  succeed  in  penetrating  into  Waday,  or  even  in  reaching  the 
lands  of  the  Nile  ;  and  I  often  indulged  in  the  pleasure  of  count- 
ing over  my  small  stock  of  goods,  and  conceived  the  idea  how, 
by  giving  away  every  thing  I  possessed,  I  might  accomplish 
such  an  enterprise ;  but  I  soon  found  that  I  was  compelled  to  give 
up  all  such  plans ;  and  although  I  think  that  a  traveler  with  suf- 
ficient means,  and  a  great  deal  of  patience  and  endurance,  might 
succeed  in  entering  Waday  from  this  side,  I  am  sure  that  the 
ruler  of  that  country  would  certainly  keep  him  back  for  a  whole 
year.  I  therefore  only  aspired  at  visiting  some  places  in  the 
neighborhood ;  and  I  was  particularly  anxious  to  obtain  a  sight 
of  that  small  branch  of  the  river  which,  having  separated  from 
the  principal  trunk  near  the  town  of  Miltu,  approaches  to  with- 
in about  nine  miles  of  the  capital.  But  the  lieutenant  governor 
would  not  allow  me  to  leave  the  place,  neither  would  he  suffer 
me  to  visit  A^bu-Gher,  which  is  situated  at  about  the  same  dis- 
tance in  a  N.N.W.  direction,  and  where  a  considerable  market 
is  held  every  Saturday,  although  I  told  him  that  it  was  essen- 
tial for  me  to  go,  in  order  to  procure  there  my  necessary  sup- 


MARKET  OF  A'BU'-GHER. 


515 


plies,  and  I  was  therefore  obliged  to  content  myself  with  send- 
ing my  servants. 

They  found  the  market  of  A^bu-Gher  of  about  the  same  im- 
portance as  the  little  market  or  dumya  in  Kukawa,  with  this 
exception,  that  cattle  were  more  numerous  in  A^bu-Gher,  and 
they  counted  about  a  hundred  head  of  large  beasts  and  about 
the  same  num.ber  of  sheep.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  sorghum 
and  cotton,  but  little  Guinea-corn  or  millet.  Besides  tobes, 
hoes  for  field-labor,  cowries,  and  natron  from  the  Bahr  el  Gha- 
zal  form  the  principal  commodities.  As  a  sort  of  curiosity,  my 
servants  mentioned  a  kind  of  bread  or  tiggra  made  of  the  fruit 
of  the  hajilij  or  Balanites  ^gyjptiaca  (the  *'bito"  of  the  Ka- 
nuri),  and  called  "  sirne."  As  a  specimen  of  the  great  diversi- 
ty of  individual  manners  which  prevails  in  these  regions,  I  will 
here  mention  that  the  farda  in  A^bu-Gher,  which  is  the  stand- 
ard currency  of  the  market,  is  diflferent  from  that  used  in  Mas- 
cila,  measuring  three  dr'a  in  length  and  one  hand  in  width.  The 
village  of  A^bu-Gher  consists  of  two  separate  groups  divided  by 
a  vale  or  depression,  where  the  market  is  held,  and  containing  a 
considerable  proportion  of  Fulbe  or  Fellata  inhabitants,  who 
were  the  founders  of  the  village. 

Finding  that  I  was  not  allowed  to  stir  from  the  place  where 
I  was,  I  resigned  myself  in  patience,  and  tried  to  take  occasion- 
ally a  little  exercise  round  the  town.  While  roving  about,  some- 
times on  foot,  sometimes  on  horseback,  I  made  by  degrees  a 
general  survey  of  the  town,  which  I  have  incorporated  into  the 
accompanying  ground-plan,  which,  though  very  imperfect,  and 
not  pretending  in  any  way  to  absolute  accuracy,  will  neverthe- 
less serve  to  give  the  reader  a  fair  idea  of  the  place. 


516 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


1.  The  house  where  I  lodged,  repre- 

sented here  also  on  a  larger  scale. 

2.  The  palace  of  the  sultan,  surrounded 

by  a  strong  wall  18  feet  high,  and 

10  feet  thick,  built  of  baked  bricks, 

but  at  present  in  decay. 
a.  Public  hall  of  audience. 
h.  Hut  of  kadaraange. 
c.  Entrance-hall,  or  hut  used  as  a 

parlor. 

cL  Court-yard  in  which  I  had  an  au- 
dience with  the  king,  while  he  him- 
self was  in  room  e. 

3.  House  of  the  facha. 

4.  Mosque. 

5.  Open  square  in  front  of  the  palace, 

planted  with  trees. 

6.  House  of  zerma. 

7.  House  of  the  Faki  Sambo. 

8.  House  of  the  chiroma. 


9.  House  of  the  Maina  Belademi. 

10.  Market-place. 

11.  Tomb  of  'Ah  Fenjar,  the  great  chief 

of  Miltu,  who  two  years  previous 
to  my  visit  to  the  place  died  here 
at  an  advanced  age  and  much  re- 
spected. The  tomb  is  well  shaded 
by  a  kiirna-tree. 

12.  A  large,  deep  hollow,  with  wells, 

but  in  the  rainy  season  full  of 
water, 

13.  A  seat  or  divan  of  clay — "  dagali" 

in  Kanuri,  "telang"  in  tar  Ba- 
grimma. 

14.  Huts  for  common  strangers  and  pil- 

grims. 

15.  Hut  of  Faki  I'brahi'm  and  his  com- 

panion. 

16.  House  of  female  patient. 

17.  Kitchen-gardens. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TOWN. 


517 


CHAPTEE  L. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TOWN. — ARRIVAL  OF  THE  SULTAN. — 
FINAL  DEPARTURE. 

The  town  of  Mas-ena  extends  over  a  considerable  area,  the 
circumference  of  which  measures  about  seven  miles ;  but  only 
half  of  this  area  is  inhabited,  the  principal  quarter  being  formed 
in  the  midst  of  the  town,  on  the  north  and  west  sides  of  the 
palace  of  the  sultan,  while  a  few  detached  quarters  and  isolated 
yards  lie  straggling  about  as  outposts.  The  most  character- 
istic feature  of  the  place  consists  in  a  deep,  trough-like  depres- 
sion or  bottom,  stretching  out  to  a  great  length,  and  intersect- 
ing the  town  from  east  to  west,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  town 
of  Kano  is  intersected  by  the  Jakara ;  for  this  hollow  of  the 
capital  of  Bagfrmi,  after  the  rainy  season,  is  filled  with  water, 
and  on  this  account  is  called  beda"  by  the  natives,  and  "  el 
bahr"  by  the  Arabs,  while  during  part  of  the  dry  season  it  is 
clothed  with  the  richest  verdure.  It  is  remarkable  that  not 
only  in  this  respect  the  town  of  Mas-ena  resembles  that  of 
Kano,  but,  like  the  great  market-place  of  Hausa,  its  surface  is 
also  broken  by  many  other  hollows,  which  contain  the  wells, 
and  during  the  rainy  season  are  changed  into  deep  ponds,  which, 
by  accumulating  all  the  refuse  of  the  town,  cause  a  great  deal 
of  insalubrity ;  but  in  general  the  soil,  consisting  of  sand,  dries 
very  quickly  after  a  fall  of  rain. 

The  principal  quarter  of  the  town  lies  on  the  south  side  of 
the  great  hollow  or  beda ;  but  even  this  very  central  quarter  is 
far  from  being  densely  inhabited,  and  was  less  so  during  the 
first  month  of  my  residence,  owing  to  the  absence  of  the  sultan. 
The  central  point  of  this  quarter,  at  least  in  regard  to  its  im- 
portance, if  not  to  its  position,  is  the  palace  of  the  sultan,  the 
whole  arrangement  of  which  is  in  general  similar  to  the  resi- 


518 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


dences  of  the  chiefs  in  other  towns,  consisting  of  irregular  clus- 
ters of  clay-buildings  and  huts.  But  there  is  a  remarkable 
feature  in  this  palace,  which  distinguishes  it  in  a  very  conspic- 
uous manner  from  all  other  buildings  of  the  kind  in  these  coun- 
tries. This  difference  consists  in  the  wall  which  surrounds  the 
whole  building  being  built,  not  of  sun-dried,  but  of  baked  bricks. 
I  have  had  an  opportunity  of  observing,  on  my  journey  from 
Kano  to  Kukawa,  the  ruins  of  the  town  of  Ghambaru,  which  is 
built  of  the  same  material ;  and  I  shall  farther  on  describe 
those  of  Birni  or  Ghasreggomo,  the  old  capital  of  Bornu,  con- 
structed in  the  same  manner.  But  at  present  the  traveler  looks 
in  vain  for  such  solid  buildings  in  any  of  the  towns  of  Negro- 
land,  and  I  was  therefore  not  a  little  surprised  at  finding  it 
iiere,  in  a  place  where  one  might  least  expect  to  see  it.* 

It  was  not,  however,  a  building  of  recent  date,  but  built  at 
least  fifty,  or  perhaps  a  hundred  years  ago,  or  probably  more, 
and  was  at  present  in  a  considerable  state  of  decay.  It  forms 
a  quadrangle  of  a  somewhat  oblong  shape,  the  front  looking  to- 
ward the  N.W.,  and  measures  from  1500  to  1600  yards  in  cir- 
cumference. It  must  once  have  been  a  very  strong  building, 
the  walls  measuring  about  ten  feet  at  the  base,  and  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  feet  in  height,  and  the  entrance-gate  being  formed  by 
thick  wooden  planks  bound  with  iron.  Upon  entering,  we  first 
got  into  an  open  court-yard,  in  the  eastern  part  of  which  there 
was  a  large  oblong  building  or  hall  built  of  clay,  which  formed 
the  pubhc  place  of  audience.  Adjoining  this  there  was  a  hut, 
wherein  the  kadamange  or  zerma — for  he  had  lately  risen  in  the 
service — who  had  been  installed  as  lieutenant  governor,  had  his 
official  residence,  while  farther  westward  another  hut  formed  the 
entrance-hall  into  the  inner  or  private  apartments  of  the  sultan, 
which  I  shall  notice  on  the  occasion  of  my  audience  with  the 
sovereign. 

The  whole  southeastern  part  of  the  palace,  being  inclosed  hy 
a  separate  wall,  is  entirely  devoted  to  the  female  portion  of  the 
royal  household,  and  is  full  of  huts,  the  number  of  which,  of 

*  There  is  another  ruin  of  baked  bricks  outside  the  town,  on  the  road  to  A'bii- 
Gher. 


THE  PALACE. 


519 


course,  I  am  not  able  to  tell,  having  had  no  access  to  this  sacred 
and  most  secluded  part  of  the  residence.  According  to  report, 
at  least,  the  sultan  is  said  to  have  from  300  to  400  wives.  The 
huts  are  of  various  sizes  and  descriptions,  in  conformity  with 
the  character  of  the  tenant  of  each.  In  front  of  the  palace  a 
spacious  area  or  square  is  laid  out,  ornamented  with  six  ka- 
rage-trees,  besides  a  fine  tamarind-tree  which  grows  a  little  on 
one  side  of  the  entrance  to  the  palace.  Adjacent  to  the  royal 
residence,  on  the  west  side,  is  the  large  house  of  the  facha,  or 
commander-in-chief,  and  toward  the  east  a  mosque  of  small  di- 
mensions, with  a  minaret  at  the  northwest  corner.  The  other 
sides  are  occupied  by  the  residences  of  some  of  the  principal 
courtiers,  such  as  the  manja,  the  zerma,  and  the  barma.  Tlie 
principal  street  of  the  town  joins  this  area  in  the  northwest  cor- 
ner, and  along  it  lie  the  dwellings  of  some  of  the  other  princi- 
pal men.  At  the  spot  where  this  road  passes  by  the  north  side 
of  the  deep  hollow  or  concavity  above  described  (12),  it  is  cross- 
ed by  another  principal  street,  which,  in  a  straight  line,  pro- 
ceeds from  the  gate  leading  to  A^bu-Gher,  and  intersects  the 
market-place. 

My  own  residence  was  situated  at  the  southwestern  angle  of 
the  inhabited  quarter ;  and  while  it  had  the  advantage  of  being 
in  an  open  and  airy  situation,  it  had  also  the  disadvantage  of 
being  visible  from  almost  every  part  of  the  town,  so  that  I 
could  not  step  out  of  my  room  without  being  seen  by  all  the 
people  around. 

Dilapidated  as  was  the  appearance  of  the  whole  town,  it  had 
a  rather  varied  aspect,  as  all  tlie  open  grounds  were  enlivened 
with  fresh  pasture ;  but  there  is  no  appearance  of  industry,  and 
the  whole  has  the  character  of  a  mere  artificial  residence  of  the 
people  immediately  .connected  with  the  court.  The  market- 
place is  rather  small,  and  not  provided  with  a  single  stall,  the 
people  being  obliged  to  protect  themselves  as  well  as  they  can 
by  forming  a  new  temporary  shed  every  market-day.  The 
most  interesting  aspect  is  furnished  by  the  beda  or  bahr,  which 
is  bordered  on  the  southwest  by  a  few  picturesque  groups  of 
dum-palms  and  other  trees  of  fine  foliage,  while  at  the  western 


520 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


end,  near  the  market-place,  there  is  a  large  extent  of  kitchen- 
gardens,  as  well  as  near  the  southeastern  extremity.  In  con- 
sequence of  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  beda,  the  direct  commu- 
nication between  the  northern  and  southern  quarters,  which, 
during  the  dry  season,  is  kept  up  by  a  good  path,  seems  to  be 
occasionally  interrupted  during  the  rains. 

The  construction  of  the  houses  in  general  is  good,  and  the 
thatchwork  of  the  roofs  formed  with  great  care,  and  even  with 
neatness ;  but  the  clay  is  of  rather  a  bad  description  for  build- 
ing, and  the  clay  houses  afford  so  little  security  during  the 
rainy  season  that  most  people  prefer  residing  during  that  part 
of  the  year  in  the  huts  of  reeds  and  straw ;  and  I  myself  had 
sufficient  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  frail 
character  of  these  structures.  There  are,  however,  some  pret- 
ty-looking houses  on  the  road  to  A''bu-Gher. 

The  walls  of  the  town,  in  most  places,  are  in  a  state  of  great 
decay,  so  that  the  gates  in  reality  have  lost  all  importance; 
nevertheless,  there  are  still  nine  gates,  or  rather  openings,  in 
use.  Most  of  them  lie  on  the  south  side,  while  there  is  not  a 
single  gate  toward  the  north,  this  quarter  of  the  town  being  so 
deserted  that  it  is  even  overgrown  with  dense  underwood.  All 
around  the  place,  as  well  on  the  south  side,  where  a  large  pond 
is  formed  in  the  rainy  season,  as  on  the  other  sides,  there  arc 
villages  inhabited  by  Shuwa  or  Shiwa  (native  Arabs),  principal- 
ly of  the  tribe  of  the  Beni  Hassan,  who  supply  the  town  with 
milk  and  butter. 

Besides  studying,  roving  about,  paying  now  an  official  visit 
to  the  lieutenant  governor,  then  a  more  interesting  private  one 
to  my  friend  Sambo,  much  of  my  time  was  also  occupied  with 
giving  medicine  to  the  people,  especially  during  the  early  period 
of  my  stay ;  for  the  small  stock  of  medicines  which  I  brought 
with  me  was  soon  exhausted.  But  even  if  I  had  possessed  a 
much  larger  supply,  I  might  perhaps  have  been  tempted  to  with- 
hold occasionally  the  little  aid  I  could  afford,  on  account  of  the 
inhospitable  treatment  which  I  received ;  and  in  the  beginning 
[  was  gi'eatly  pestered  by  the  lieutenant,  who  sent  me  to  some 
decrepit  old  women,  who  had  broken  their  limbs,  and  in  every 


PATIilNTS.— THE  OTHER  SEX. 


521 


respect  were  quite  fit  for  the  grave.  I  then  protested  officially 
against  being  sent  in  future  to  patients  at  least  of  the  other  sex, 
beyond  a  certain  age. 

But  sometimes  the  patients  proved  rather  interesting,  particu- 
larly the  females ;  and  I  was  greatly  amused  one  morning  when  a 
handsome  and  well-grown  young  person  arrived  with  a  servant 
of  the  lieutenant  governor,  and  entreated  me  to  call  and  see  her 
mother,  who  was  suffering  from  a  sore  in  her  right  ear.  Think- 
ing that  her  house  was  not  far  off,  I  followed  her  on  foot,  but  had 
to  traverse  the  whole  town,  as  she  was  living  near  the  gate  lead- 
ing to  A^bu-Gher;  and  it  caused  some  merriment  to  my  friends 
to  see  me  strutting  along  with  this  young  lady.  But  afterward, 
when  I  visited  my  patient,  I  used  to  mount  my  horse  ;  and  the 
daughter  was  always  greatly  delighted  when  I  came,  and  fre- 
quently put  some  very  pertinent  questions  to  me,  as  to  how  I 
was  going  on  with  my  household,  as  I  was  staying  quite  alone. 
She  was  a  very  handsome  person,  and  would  even  have  been 
regarded  so  in  Europe,  with  the  exception  of  her  skin,  the  glossy 
black  of  which  I  thouglit  very  becoming  at  the  time,  and  almost 
essential  to  female  beauty. 

The  princesses  also,  or  the  daughters  of  the  absent  king,  who 
in  this  country  too  bear  the  title  of  "  mairam"'  or  ''meram," 
called  upon  me  occasionally,  under  the  pretext  of  wanting  some 
medicines.  Among  others,  there  came  one  day  a  buxom  young- 
maiden,  of  very  gi*acefulbut  rather  coquettish  demeanor,  accom- 
panied by  an  elder  sister,  of  graver  manners  and  fuller  propor- 
tions, and  complained  to  me  that  she  was  suffering  from  a  sore 
in  her  eyes,  begging  me  to  see  what  it  was  ;  but  when,  upon  ap- 
proaching her  very  gravely,  and  inspecting  her  eyes  rather  at- 
tentively without  being  able  to  discover  the  least  defect,  I  told 
her  that  all  was  right,  and  that  her  eyes  were  sound  and  beau- 
tiful, she  burst  out  into  a  roar  of  laughter,  and  repeated,  in  a 
coquettish  and  flippant  manner,  "beautiful  eyes, beautiful  eyes." 

There  is  a  great  difference  between  the  Kanuri  and  Bagirmi 
females,  the  advantage  being  entirely  with  the  latter,  who  cer- 
tainly rank  among  the  finest  Avomen  in  Negroland,  and  may  well 
compete  with  the  Fulbe  or  Fellata ;  for  if  they  are  excelled  by 


522 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


them  in  slenderness  of  form  and  lightness  of  color,  they  far  sur- 
pass them  in  their  majestic  growth  and  their  symmetrical  and 
finely-shaped  limbs,  while  the  lustre  and  blackness  of  their  eyes 
are  celebrated  all  over  Negroland.  Of  their  domestic  virtues, 
however,  I  can  not  speak,  as  I  had  not  sufficient  opportunity  to 
enable  me  to  give  an  opinion  upon  so  difficult  a  question.  I 
will  only  say  that  on  this  subject  I  have  heard  much  to  their 
disadvantage,  and  I  must  own  that  I  think  it  was  not  all  slan- 
der. Divorce  is  very  frequent  among  them  as  inclination 
changes.  Indeed,  I  think  that  the  Bagirmi  people  are  more 
given  to  intrigues  than  their  neighbors ;  and  among  the  young 
men  sanguinary  encounters  in  love-affairs  are  of  frequent  occur- 
rence. The  son  of  the  lieutenant  governor  himself  was  at  that 
time  in  prison  on  account  of  a  severe  wound  which  he  had  in- 
flicted upon  one  of  his  rivals.  In  this  respect  the  Bagrimma 
very  nearly  approach  the  character  of  the  people  of  Waday,  who 
are  famous  on  account  of  the  furious  quarrels  in  which  they  oft- 
en become  involved  in  matters  of  love. 

Occasionally  there  occurred  some  petty  private  affairs  of  my 
friends  which  caused  some  little  interruption  in  the  uniform 
course  of  my  life.  Now  it  was  my  old  friend  Bu-Bakr,  from 
Bakada,  who  complained  of  his  wife,  who  resided  here  in  Mas- 
efia,  and  who  did  not  keep  his  house  as  well  and  economically 
as  he  desired,  and,  when  he  occasionally  came  into  the  town, 
did  not  treat  him  so  kindly  as  he  thought  she  ought  to  do,  so 
that  he  came  to  the  serious  conclusion  of  divorcing  her.  An- 
other time  my  restless  friend  was  in  pursuit  of  a  runaway  slave, 
who  had  tried  to  escape  beyond  the  Bachikam. 

Then  it  was  my  friend  Haj  A^hmed  who  complained  to  me 
of  his  disappointment,  and  how  he  had  been  overreached  by  his 
enemies  and  rivals.  He  was  certainly  in  an  awkward  position 
in  this  country,  and  I  could  never  get  quite  at  the  bottom  of 
his  story ;  for,  as  I  have  mentioned  above,  he  had  been  sent 
from  ^ledina  in  order  to  obtain  from  the  King  of  Bagirmi  a 
present  of  eunuchs  ;  but  now,  after  he  had  been  residing  here 
about  a  year  and  a  half,  having  been  continually  delayed  by  the 
ruler  of  the  country,  another  messenger  had  arrived,  who,  it 


OCCURRENCES  OF  DAILY  LIFE. 


523 


seemed,  was  to  reap  the  fruits  of  my  friend's  labors.  Haj  A'h- 
med  had  accompanied  the  sultan  on  his  expedition  the  previous 
year ;  but  he  had  almost  lost  his  life,  having  received  a  severe 
wound  in  the  head  from  one  of  those  iron  hand-bills  wliich  form 
the  chief  weapon  of  the  pagan  tribes  toward  the  south.  He 
therefore  thought  it  better  this  time  to  remain  behind ;  but  he 
made  no  end  of  complaints  on  account  of  the  miserly  and  in- 
hospitable treatment  of  the  lieutenant  governor.  The  situation 
of  my  friend  became  the  more  lamentable  when  his  female  slave, 
the  only  one  he  had  at  the  time,  managed  to  make  her  escape, 
having  thrown  down  her  mistress,  who  had  gone  outside  the 
town  with  her. 

Scenes  like  these  happened  daily ;  and  I  had  frequent  op- 
portunities of  demonstrating  to  my  friends  how  the  vigor  and 
strength  of  the  Christian  empires  of  Europe  were  principally 
based  upon  their  capability  of  continually  renewing  their  vital- 
ity from  free  native  elements,  and  by  totally  abstaining  from 
slavery.  And  I  further  demonstrated  to  them  that  slavery  had 
been  the  principal  cause  of  the  speedy  overthrow  of  all  the  Mo- 
hammedan dynasties  and  empires  that  had  ever  flourished. 

Another  time  it  was  my  friend  Sliman  who,  besides  topics  of 
a  more  serious  nature,  used  to  entertain  me  with  stories  from  his 
domestic  life ;  for,  being  of  a  roving  disposition,  ever  changing, 
and  of  rather  desultory  habits,  he  was  accustomed  to  contract 
temporary  matches  for  a  month,  which,  of  course,  gave  him  a 
great  insight  into  the  habits  of  the  females  of  the  countries  which 
he  traversed  on  his  peregrinations. 

At  another  time  some  natural  phenomena  gave  me  some  oc- 
cupation. Among  the  nuisances  with  which  the  country  of  Ba- 
girmi  abounds,  the  large  black  ant,  called  "  kingibbu"  and  *'kan- 
gifu"  in  Kanuri,  "kissino"in  tar  Bagrimma  (the  language  of 
Bagirmi) — Termes  morclax — is  one  of  the  most  troublesome; 
and,  besides  some  smaller  skirmishes  with  this  insect,  I  had  to 
sustain,  one  day,  a  very  desperate  encounter  with  a  numerous 
host  of  these  voracious  little  creatures,  that  were  attacking  my 
residence  with  a  stubborn  pertinacity  which  would  have  been 
extremely  amusing  if  it  had  not  too  intimately  affected  my 


524 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


whole  existence.  In  a  thick  uninteiTupted  line,  about  an  inch 
broad,  they  one  morning  suddenly  came  marching  over  the  wall 
of  my  court-yard,  and,  entering  the  hall  which  formed  my  resi- 
dence by  day  and  night,  they  made  straight  for  my  store-room  ; 
but,  unfortunately,  my  couch  being  in  their  way,  they  attacked 
my  own  person  most  fiercely,  and  soon  obliged' me  to  decamp. 
We  then  fell  upon  them,  killing  those  that  were  straggling  about 
and  foraging,  and  burning  the  chief  body  of  the  army  as  it  came 
marching  along  the  path  ;  but  fresh  legions  came  up,  and  it  took 
us  at  least  two  hours  before  we  could  fairly  break  the  lines  and 
put  the  remainder  of  the  hostile  army  to  flight. 

On  this  occasion  the  insects  seemed  to  have  been  attracted 
entirely  by  the  store  of  corn  which  I  had  laid  in  from  Bakada. 
In  general  their  hostile  attacks  have  also  a  beneficial  effect,  for, 
as  they  invade  the  huts  of  the  natives,  they  destroy  all  sorts  of 
vermin,  mice  included.  But  while,  in  some  respects,  these  black 
ants  may  be  called  the  "scavengers  of  the  houses,"  in  many 
parts  of  Negroland  they  often  become  also  very  useful  by  their 
very  greediness  in  gathering  what  man  wants  entirely  for  him- 
self ;  for  they  lay  in  such  a  considerable  store  of  corn  that  I 
have  very  often  observed  the  poor  natives,  not  only  in  these  re- 
gions, but  even  along  the  shores  of  the  Niger,  digging  out  their 
holes  in  order  to  possess  themselves  of  their  supplies. 

Besides  these  large  black  ants,  the  small  red  ant,  called  in 
Bornu  "kitta-kitta,"  and  in  Bagirmi  "kissase,"  is  found  in  great 
numbers,  and  becomes  often  very  troublesome  by  its  very  small- 
ness,  as  it  gets  so  easily  into  all  sorts  of  dresses  without  being 
observed.  I  was  once  greatly  amused  in  witnessing  a  battle 
between  this  small  red  ant  and  the  white  ant,  called  "canam"in 
Bornu,  and  here  "nyo"  {Termes  fatalis)^  when  the  latter  were 
very  soon  vanquished  by  the  warriors  of  the  former  species, 
who,  notwithstanding  their  smaller  size,  were  carrying  them  ofi" 
with  great  speed  and  alacrity  to  their  holes ;  for  the  white  ant 
is  powerless  as  soon  as  it  gets  out  of  its  subterranean  passages, 
which  impart  to  them  strength,  as  the  earth  did  to  Antaeus. 

The  rains,  which  at  first  had  set  in  with  considerable  vio- 
lence, had  afterward  almost  ceased,  so  that  the  herbage  on  the 


AKRIVAL  OF  THE  SULTAN. 


525 


open  uncultivated  grounds  in  the  town  became  quite  withered, 
and  many  of  the  people,  who,  upon  the  first  appearance  of  rain, 
had  been  induced  to  trust  their  seeds  to  the  soil,  were  sadly 
disappointed ;  and  I  have  already  had  occasion  to  relate  that 
the  natives,  including  their  chief,  attributed  this  state  of  the 
weather  to  my  malignant  influence.  However,  I  was  delighted 
when  I  sometimes  made  a  little  excursion  on  horseback  in  the 
environs  of  the  capital,  to  see  that  the  open  country  was  less 
dry  than  the  inside  of  the  town,  although  even  there,  as  yet,  lit- 
tle cultivation  was  to  be  seen.  It  seemed  very  remarkable  to 
me  that  here,  as  well  as  in  the  other  parts  of  the  country,  espe- 
cially Bakada,  the  corn  was  generally  cultivated  in  deep  furrows 
and  ridges,  or  "  deraba,"  a  mode  of  tillage  which  I  had  not  ob- 
served in  any  other  country  of  Negroland  through  which  I  had 
traveled.  The  people,  however,  were  very  suspicious  whenever 
I  mounted  on  horseback ;  and  the  first  time  they  saw  me  gal- 
loping off,  they  thought  I  was  going  to  make  my  escape,  and 
were  therefore  all  on  the  look-out. 

All  this  time  the  sultan  or  "  banga"  was  absent,  and  the  false 
news  which  was  repeatedly  told  of  his  whereabouts  kept  up  a 
continual  excitement.  When  I  first  arrived  in  the  country  he 
had  gone  a  considerable  distance  toward  the  southeast,  and  was 
besieging  a  place  called  Gogomi,  which  was  strongly  fortified 
by  nature,  and  made  a  long  resistance,  so  that  the  besieging 
army  lost  a  great  many  of  their  best  men,  and  among  them  an 
Arab  sherif  who  had  joined  the  expedition.  But  at  length  the 
place  was  taken,  and  the  courtiers  prevailed  upon  the  prince  to 
retrace  his  steps  homeward,  as  they  were  sufi:ering  a  great  deal 
from  famine ;  so  much  so  that  the  greatest  part  of  the  army 
were  obliged  to  live  upon  the  fruit  of  the  deleb-palm  {Borassm 
JlahelUformis  f),  which  seems  to  be  the  predominant  tree  in 
many  of  the  southern  provinces  of  Bagirmi. 

July  3d,  After  false  reports  of  the  sultan's  approach  had  been 
spread  repeatedly,  he  at  length  really  arrived.  Of  course,  the 
excitement  of  the  whole  population  was  very  great,  almost  all  the 
fighting  men  having  been  absent  from  home  for  more  than  six 
months. 


526 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


It  was  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  the  army  ap- 
proached the  south  side  of  the  town,  displaying  a  great  deal  of 
gorgeous  pomp  and  barbaric  magnificence,  although  it  was  not 
very  numerous,  being  reduced  to  the  mere  number  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  capital,  the  remainder  having  already  dispersed  in 
all  directions,  and  returned  to  their  respective  homes.  Thus 
there  were  not  more  than  from  700  to  800  horsemen  or  "mala- 
sinda but  my  friend  the  Sherif  Sliman  (who,  exasperated  at 
the  bad  treatment  of  the  lieutenant  governor,  had  left  the  capital 
to  join  the  expedition,  and  who,  as  far  as  I  had  an  opportunity 
of  trying  him,  was  not  inclined  to  exaggerate)  assured  me  that, 
even  on  their  return,  the  army  mustered  at  least  2000  horsemen. 

At  the  head  of  the  troop,  as  having  supplied  the  place  of  his 
master  during  his  absence  in  his  character  of  lieutenant  gov- 
ernor, rode  the  kadamange,  surrounded  by  a  troop  of  horsemen. 
Then  followed  the  barma,  behind  whom  was  carried  a  long  spear 
of  peculiar  make,  which,  in  the  history  of  this  country,  forms  a 
very  conspicuous  object,  being  meant  originally  to  represent  an 
idol,  which  is  said  to  have  been  transplanted  from  the  parent 
state,  Kenga  Mataya,  and  evidently  bore  a  great  resemblance  to 
the  "  fete"  of  the  MargM  and  Musgu.  Just  in  front  of  the  sul- 
tan rode  the  facha  or  commander-in-chief,  who  is  the  second  per- 
son in  the  kingdom,  similar  to  the  keghamma  in  the  old  empire 
of  Bornu,  and  who  in  former  times  possessed  extraordinary 
power.  '  The  sultan  himself  wore  a  yellow  bernus,  and  was 
mounted  upon  a  gray  charger,  the  excellence  of  which  was 
scarcely  to  be  distinguished,  it  being  dressed  in  war-cloth  or  lib- 
bedi  of  various-colored  stripes,  such  as  I  have  described  on  my 
expedition  to  Musgu.  Even  the  head  of  the  sultan  himself 
was  scarcely  to  be  seen,  not  only  on  account  of  the  horsemen 
riding  in  front  and  around  him,  but  more  particularly  owing  to 
two  umbrellas,  the  one  of  green  and  the  other  of  red  color,  which 
a  couple  of  slaves  carried  on  each  side  of  him. 

Six  slaves,  their  right  arm  clad  in  iron,  were  fanning  him  with 
ostrich  feathers  attached  to  long  poles,  and  round  about  him 
rode  five  chieftains,  while  on  his  right  were  to  be  seen  the  ghe- 
letma  and  other  principal  men  of  the  country.    This  whole 


THE  SULTAN'S  RETINUE. 


527 


group  round  the  prince  formed  such  a  motley  array  that  it  was 
impossible  to  distinguish  all  the  particular  features  with  accu- 
racy ;  but,  as  far  as  I  was  able  to  make  out  from  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  natives,  there  were  about  thirty  individuals  clad  in 
bernuses,  while  the  others  wore  nothing  but  black  or  blue  col- 
ored shirts,  and  had  their  heads  mostly  uncovered.  Close  be- 
hind this  group  followed  the  war-camel,  upon  which  was  mount- 
ed the  drummer,  "kodganga,"  who  was  exerting  his  skill  upon^ 
two  kettle-drums,  which  were  fastened  on  each  side  of  the  ani- 
mal ;  and  near  him  rode  three  musicians,  two  of  whom  carried 
a  buki,  "  kaja,"  or  small  horn,  and  the  third  a  jojo  or  "  zozo,"  a 
sort  of  double  derabuka. 

However  grotesque  the  appearance  of  the  royal  cavalcade, 
that  part  of  the  procession  which  followed  was  more  character- 
istic of  the  barbaric  magnificence  and  whole  manner  of  living 
of  these  African  courts.  It  consisted  of  a  long,  uniform  train 
of  forty-five  favorite  female  slaves  or  concubines,  "habbabat," 
of  the  sultan,  mounted  on  horseback,  and  dressed  from  top  to 
toe  in  black  native  cloth,  each  having  a  slave  on  either  side. 
The  procession  terminated  in  a  train  of  eleven  camels  carrying 
the  luggage.  The  number  of  the  infantry  or  "malaja"  was 
also  limited,  as  most  of  them  had  returned  to  their  respective 
homes.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  almost  all  the  people  of  the 
town  had  come  out  to  see  the  victorious  army  on  their  return. 

This  day,  however,  the  sultan  did  not  enter  the  capital,  but, 
in  conformity  with  the  sacred  custom  of  the  kings  of  this  coun- 
try on  their  return  from  an  expedition,  was  obliged  to  encamp 
among  the  ruins  of  the  oldest  quarter  on  the  west  side  of  the 
town,  and  it  was  not  till  Sunday,  the  4th  day  of  July,  about 
noon,  that  he  made  his  solemn  entry.  This  time,  however,  the 
"  habbabat"  did  not  form  part  of  the  procession,  having  entered 
the  town  early  in  the  morning ;  but  their  absence  was  atoned 
for  by  the  presence  of  a  greater  number  of  horsemen,  and  behind 
the  drummer  on  camel's  back  followed  an  interesting  warlike 
train,  consisting  of  fifteen  fiery  chargers,  all  clad  in  libbedi,  and 
better  adapted,  it  would  seem,  to  the  serious  game  of  Mars  than 
the  train  of  lovely  damsels. 


528 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


On  this  occasion  the  banga  led  in  his  triumphant  procession 
seven  pagan  chiefs,  among  whom  that  of  Gogomi  was  the  most 
conspicuous  person,  and  the  greatest  ornament  of  the  triumph, 
being  not  less  remarkable  for  his  tall,  stately  figure  than  on  ac- 
count of  his  having  been  the  ruler  of  a  considerable  pagan  state, 
with  a  capital  in  an  almost  inaccessible  position.  He  excited 
the  interest  of  the  savage  and  witty  Bagirmi  people  by  submit- 
ting with  a  great  deal  of  good-humor  to  his  fate,  which  was  cer- 
tainly not  very  enviable,  as  it  is  the  custom  in  this  country  ei- 
ther to  kill  or  to  emasculate  these  princely  prisoners  after  hav- 
ing conducted  them  for  some  time  through  all  the  court-yards 
of  the  palace,  while  allowing  the  wives  and  female  slaves  of  the 
sultan  to  indulge  their  capricious  and  wanton  dispositions  in  all 
sorts  of  fun  with  them.  The  horrible  custom  of  castration  is, 
perhaps,  in  no  country  of  Central  Negroland  practiced  to  such 
an  extent  as  in  Bagirmi. 

The  booty  in  slaves  did  not  seem  to  have  been  very  consid- 
erable, although  the  prince  had  been  absent  from  home  for  six 
months ;  and  the  whole  share  of  the  sultan  himself  seemed  to 
consist  of  about  four  hundred  individuals.  The  sultan  passed 
slowly  through  the  town,  along  the  principal  road  from  the  west- 
ern gate,  and,  proceeding  along  the  "  dendal"  or  "  boko,"  enter- 
ed his  palace  amid  the  acclamations  of  the  people  and  the  clap- 
ping of  hands  (the  "  kabello"  or  "  tofaji,"  as  it  is  here  called)  of 
the  women. 

Although  I  had  not  yet  paid  my  compliments  to  the  banga, 
he  sent  two  messengers  in  the  afternoon  to  bid  me  welcome. 
These  messengers  were  the  brother  and  son  of  one  of  the  chief 
men  of  the  country.  However,  he  had  returned  in  a  bad  state 
of  health,  and,  unfortunately  for  me,  succumbed  in  a  few  days. 

I  informed  the  messengers  of  the  prince  how  badly  I  had  been 
treated,  when  they  assured  me  that  the  sultan  did  not  know  any 
thing  about  it,  and  that,  as  soon  as  he  had  received  the  news  of 
my  arrival,  he  had  forwarded  orders  to  the  lieutenant  governor 
to  provide  me  with  a  milch-cow.  The  messengers  then  went 
away,  and  soon  returned  with  a  sheep,  some  butter,  and  a  large 
supply  of  kreb,  the  seed  of  a  sort  of  grass  of  which  I  have  spoken 
on  former  occasions. 


Vol.  11. — L  l 


I 


A  VISIT  TO  MATNA.— ARRIVAL  OF  A  MESSENGER.  531 

The  next  morning  I  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  Maina,  being  accom- 
panied by  my  old  runaway  guide  Grema  'Abdii,  who,  after  hav- 
ing left  me  to  my  own  fate  in  Bakada,  had  gone  to  join  the  sul- 
tan in  the  expedition.  However,  the  place  wliere  the  sick  man 
was  lying  was  so  dark  that,  convinced  as  I  was  of  the  serious- 
ness of  his  illness,  I  found  a  pretext  for  not  giving  him  any 
medicine ;  and  this  was  very  lucky  for  me,  as  his  death,  which 
took  place  a  few  days  afterward,  would  certainly  have  been  at- 
tributed by  these  savage  people  to  my  remedies. 

The  same  evening  I  was  informed  that  an  express  messenger 
had  come  from  Kukawa  with  dispatches  for  me,  the  caravan 
from  Fezzan  having  at  length  arrived.  But,  having  been  repeat- 
edly disappointed  by  similar  reports,  I  did  not  give  myself  up 
to  vain  expectation,  and  passed  a  very  tranquil  night. 

Thus  arrived  the  6th  of  July,  one  of  the  most  lucky  days  of 
my  life ;  for,  having  been  more  than  a  year  without  any  means 
whatever,  and  struggling  with  my  fate  in  the  endeavor  to  do  as 
much  as  possible  before  I  returned  home,  I  suddenly  found  my- 
self authorized  to  carry  out  the  objects  of  this  expedition  on  a 
more  extensive  scale,  and  found  sufficient  means  placed  at  my 
disposal  for  attaining  that  object.  The  messenger,  however, 
managed  his  business  very  cleverly ;  for,  having  two  large  par- 
cels of  letters  for  me,  one  only  containing  dispatches  from  the 
Foreign  Office,  and  the  other  containing  a  large  amount  of  pri- 
vate correspondence,  he  brought  me  first  the  former,  which  had 
been  very  carefully  packed  up  in  Kukawa,  in  a  long  strip  of  tine 
cotton  (gabaga),  and  then  sewn  in  red  and  yellow  leather,  with- 
out saying  a  word  about  the  other  parcel ;  but  when  I  had  read 
at  my  leisure  the  dispatches  which  honored  me  with  the  confi- 
dence of  her  Britannic  majesty's  government,  and  had  reward- 
ed his  zeal  with  a  new  shirt,  he  went  aw^ay,  and  soon  returned 
with  the  second  parcel,  and  a  packet  containing  ten  turkedi,  na- 
tive cotton  cloth,  from  Kano,  which,  at  Mr.  Overweg's  request, 
the  Yizier  of  Bornu  had  sent  me,  and  three  of  which  I  imme- 
diately presented  to  the  messenger  and  his  two  companions. 

The  number  of  private  letters  from  England,  as  well  as  Ger- 
many, was  very  considerable,  and  all  of  them  contained  the  ac- 


532 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


knowledgment  of  wliat  I  had  done,  the  greatest  recompense 
wliich  a  traveler  in  those  regions  can  ever  aspire  to.  No  doubt 
the  responsibility  also  thus  thrown  upon  me  was  very  great,  and 
the  conclusion  at  which  I  had  arrived  from  former  experience, 
that  I  should  not  be  able  to  fulfill  the  many  exaggerated  ex- 
pectations which  were  entertained  of  my  future  proceedings,  was 
oppressive ;  for,  in  almost  all  the  letters  from  private  individu- 
als, there  was  expressed  the  persuasion  that  I  and  my  compan- 
ion should  be  able,  without  any  great  exertion,  and  in  a  short 
space  of  time,  to  cross  the  whole  of  the  unknown  region  of  equa- 
torial Africa,  and  reach  the  southeastern  coast — an  undertaking 
the  idea  of  which  certainly  I  myself  had  originated,  but  which, 
I  had  become  convinced  in  the  course  of  my  travels,  was  utterly 
impossible,  except  at  the  sacrifice  of  a  great  number  of  years, 
for  which  I  found  the  state  of  my  health  entirely  insufficient, 
besides  a  body  of  trustworthy  and  sincerely  attached  men,  and 
a  considerable  supply  of  means.  Moreover,  I  found,  to  my  sur- 
prise and  regret,  that  the  sum  of  £800  placed  at  my  disposal  by 
Lord  Palmerston  remained  a  dead  letter,  none  of  the  money  hav- 
ing been  forwarded  from  Tripoli — a  sum  of  about  fifteen  hund- 
red dollars,  which  had  been  previously  sent,  being  regarded  as 
sufficient. 

In  this  perplexity,  produced  by  nothing  but  good-will  and  a 
superabundance  of  friendly  feeling,  I  was  delighted  to  find  that 
her  majesty's  government,  and  Lord  Palmerston  in  particular,* 
held  out  a  more  practicable  project  by  inviting  me  to  endeavor 
to  reach  Timbuktu.  To  this  plan,  therefore,  I  turned  my  full 
attention,  and  in  my  imagination  dwelt  with  delight  upon  the 
thought  of  succeeding  in  the  field  of  the  glorious  career  of  Mun- 
go  Park. 

For  the  present,  however,  I  was  still  in  Bagirmi,  that  is  to 
say,  in  a  country  where,  under  the  veil  of  Islam,  a  greater 
amount  of  superstitious  ideas  prevail  than  in  many  of  the  pa- 
gan countries  ;  and  I  was  reveling  in  the  midst  of  my  literary 
treasures,  which  had  just  carried  me  back  to  the  political  and 
scientific  domains  of  Europe,  and  all  the  letters  from  those  dis- 

*  See  the  Dispatch  in  the  Appendix,  No.  YL 


A  SERIOUS  VISIT. 


533 


tant  regions  were  lying  scattered  on  my  simple  couch,  when  all 
of  a  sudden  one  of  my  servants  came  running  into  my  room,  and 
hastily  informed  me  that  a  numerous  cortege  of  messengers  had 
just  arrived  from  court. 

I  had  scarcely  time  to  conceal  my  treasure  under  my  mat 
when  the  courtiers  arrived,  and  in  a  few  moments  my  room  was 
filled  with  black  people  and  black  tobes.  The  messengers  who 
had  brought  me  the  letters  had  likewise  been  the  bearers  of  a 
letter  addressed  by  the  ruler  of  Bornu  to  the  banga  of  Bagirmi, 
who  in  a  certain  respect  was  tributary  to  him,  requesting  him 
to  allow  me  to  return  without  delay  to  his  country  in  the  com- 
pany of  the  messengers.  There  were  some  twenty  persons  be- 
sides the  lieutenant  governor  or  kadamange,  and  the  two  rela- 
tions of  Maina ;  and  the  manner  in  which  they  behaved  was  so 
remarkable  that  I  was  almost  afraid  lest  I  should  be  made  pris- 
oner a  second  time.  There  could  be  no  doubt  that  they  had 
heard  of  the  large  correspondence  which  I  had  received.  But 
there  had  been,  moreover,  a  great  deal  of  suspicion,  from  my 
first  arrival,  that  I  was  a  Turkish  spy.  There  was  even  a  pil- 
grim who,  from  his  scanty  stock  of  geographical  and  ethnologi- 
cal knowledge,  endeavored  to  persuade  the  people  that  I  was 
an  "  Arnaut,"  who,  he  said,  were  the  only  people  in  the  world 
that  wore  stockings.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  courtiers  were 
afraid  of  coming  forward  abruptly  with  the  real  object  of  their 
visit,  and  at  first  pretended  they  wished  to  see  the  presents  that 
I  had  brought  for  the  sultan.  These  consisted  of  a  caftan  of 
red  cloth,  of  good  quality,  which  I  had  bought  in  Tripoli  for 
nine  dollars  ;  a  repeater  watch,  from  Nuremberg,  bought  for  ten 
dollars,  with  a  twisted  silk  guard  of  Tripolitan  workmanship ; 
a  shawl,  with  silk  border ;  an  English  knife  and  pair  of  scis- 
sors ;  cloves,  and  a  few  other  things.  The  watch,  of  course, 
created  the  greatest  astonishment,  as  it  was  in  good  repair  at 
the  time,  although  it  was  a  pity  that  we  had  not  been  provided 
with  good  English  manufactures,  but  had  been  left  to  pick  up 
what  articles  we  might  tliink  suitable  to  our  purpose. 

Having  also  asked  to  see  my  telescope,  which,  of  course,  could 
only  increase  their  surprise  and  astonishment,  they  then,  after  a 


534 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


great  deal  of  beckoning  and  whispering  with  each  other,  which 
made  me  feel  rather  nneasj,  requested  to  see  the  book  in  which 
I  wrote  down  every  thing  I  saw  and  heard.  Without  hesita- 
tion, I  took  out  my  memorandum-book  and  showed  it  to  them ; 
but  I  had  first  to  assert  its  identity.  In  order  to  allay  their 
suspicions,  I  spontaneously  read  to  them  several  passages  from 
it  which  referred  to  the  geography  and  ethnography  of  the  coun- 
try ;  and  I  succeeded  in  making  them  laugh  and  become  merry, 
so  that  they  even  added  some  names  where  my  lists  were  defi- 
cient. They  then  begged  me  to  allow  them  to  take  the  book  to 
the  sultan,  and  I  granted  their  request  without  hesitation. 

This  frankness  of  mine  completely  bafiled  the  intrigues  of 
my  enemies,  and  allayed  the  suspicions  of  the  natives  ;  for  they 
felt  sure  that,  if  I  had  any  evil  intention  in  writing  down  an 
account  of  the  country,  I  should  endeavor  to  do  all  in  my  power 
to  conceal  what  I  had  written. 

Thus  they  departed,  carrying  with  them  my  journal ;  and  I 
was  informed  afterward  that  the  sultan  had  sent  for  all  the  learn- 
ed men  in  the  town,  in  order  to  hear  their  opinion  upon  my 
book.  And  it  was  perhaps  fortunate  for  me  that  the  principal 
among  them  was  my  friend  Sambo,  who,  being  well  acquainted 
with  my  scientific  pursuits,  represented  my  notes  as  a  very  in- 
nocent and  merely  scientific  matter.  My  journal,  which  no  one 
was  able  to  read,  was  consequently  returned  to  me  uninjured. 
In  the  afternoon  my  friend  Sambo  called  upon  me,  and  related 
to  me  the  whole  story ;  he  also  informed  me  that  the  only  rea- 
son why  I  had  not  obtained  an  audience  with  the  sultan  this 
day  was  the  above-mentioned  letter  of  the  Sheikh  of  Bornu, 
which  had  in  a  certain  degree  offended  their  feelings  of  inde- 
pendence ;  and,  in  fact,  I  did  not  obtain  an  audience  until  the 
8th. 

July  Sth,  I  had  just  sent  word  to  Sambo,  begging  him  to  has- 
ten my  departure,  and  had  received  a  visit  from  some  friends  of 
mine,  when  Grema  'Abdu  came,  with  a  servant  of  the  sultan,  in 
order  to  conduct  me  into  his  presence,  whereupon  I  sent  to  Sambo, 
as  well  as  to  my  host  Bu-Bakr  of  Bakada,  who  was  just  then 
present  in  town,  inviting  them  to  accompany  me  to  the  prince. 


AUDIENCE  WITPI  THE  SULTAN. 


535 


On  arriving  at  the  palace,  I  was  led  into  an  inner  court-yard, 
marked  d  in  the  ground-plan,  where  the  courtiers  were  sitting 
on  either  side  of  a  door  which  led  into  an  inner  apartment,  the 
opening  or  door-way  of  which  was  covered  by  a  "  kasar,"  or,  as 
it  is  called  here,  "parpara,"  made  of  a  fine  species  of  reed,  as  I 
have  mentioned  in  my  description  of  the  capital  of  Logon.  In 
front  of  the  door,  between  the  two  lines  of  the  courtiers,  I  was 
desired  to  sit  down,  together  with  my  companions. 

Being  rather  puzzled  to  whom  to  address  myself,  as  no  one 
was  to  be  seen  who  was  in  any  way  distinguished  from  the  rest 
of  the  people,  all  the  courtiers  being  simply  dressed  in  the  most 
uniform  style,  in  black,  or  rather  blue  tobes,  and  all  being  bare- 
headed, I  asked  aloud,  before  beginning  my  address,  whether 
the  Sultan  'Abd  el  Kader  was  present,  and  an  audible  voice 
answered  from  behind  the  screen  that  he  was  present.  Being 
then  sure  that  it  was  the  sultan  whom  I  addressed,  although  I 
should  have  liked  better  to  have  seen  him  face  to  face,  I  paid 
him  my  respects  and  presented  the  compliments  of  her  Britan- 
nic majesty's  government,  which,  being  one  of  the  chief  Europe- 
an powers,  was  very  desirous  of  making  acquaintance  with  all 
the  princes  of  the  earth,  and  of  Negroland  also,  in  order  that 
their  subjects,  being  the  first  traders  in  the  world,  might  extend 
their  commerce  in  every  direction.  I  told  him  that  we  had 
friendship  and  treaties  with  almost  all  the  nations  of  the  earth, 
and  that  I  myself  was  come  in  order  to  make  friendship  with 
them  ;  for,  although  they  did  not  possess  many  articles  of  trade 
to  offer,  especially  as  we  abhorred  the  slave-trade,  yet  we  were 
able  to  appreciate  their  ivory,  and  even  if  they  had  nothing  to 
trade  with,  we  wanted  to  be  on  good  terms  with  all  princes.  I 
told  him,  moreover,  that  we  were  the  best  of  friends  with  the 
Sultan  of  Stambul,  and  that  all  who  were  acquainted  with  us 
knew  very  well  that  we  were  excellent  people,  trustworthy,  and 
full  of  religious  feelings,  who  had  no  other  aim  but  the  welfare 
of  mankind,  universal  intercourse,  and  peaceable  interchange  of 
goods.  I  protested  that  we  did  not  take  notes  of  the  countries 
which  we  visited  with  any  bad  purpose,  but  merely  in  order  to 
be  well  acquainted  with  their  government,  manners,  and  cus- 


536 


TKAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


toms,  and  to  be  fully  aware  what  articles  we  might  buy  from, 
and  what  articles  we  might  sell  to  them.  Thus  already  "  Eais 
Khalil"  (Major  Denham)  had  formed,  I  said,  the  design  of  pay- 
ing his  compliments  to  his  (the  sultan's)  father,  but  that  the 
hostile  relations  which  prevailed  at  that  time  between  Bagirmi 
and  Bornu  had  prevented  him  from  executing  his  plan  when  he 
had  reached  Logon,  and  that,  from  the  same  motives,  I  had  now 
come  for  no  other  purpose  than  the  benefit  of  his  country ;  but 
that,  nevertheless,  notwithstanding  my  best  intentions,  I  had 
been  ill-treated  by  his  own  people,  as  they  had  not  been  ac- 
quainted with  my  real  character.  I  stated  that  it  had  been  my 
ardent  desire  to  join  him  on  the  expedition,  in  order  to  see  him 
in  the  full  exercise  of  his  power,  but  that  his  people  had  not  al- 
lowed me  to  carry  out  my  design. 

The  whole  of  my  speech,  which  I  made  in  Arabic,  was  trans- 
lated, phrase  for  phrase,  by  my  blind  friend  Sambo,  who  occa- 
sionally gave  me  a  hint  when  he  thought  I  spoke  in  too  strong 
terms.  The  parcel  containing  my  presents  was  then  brought 
forward  and  placed  before  me,  in  order  that  I  might  open  it  my- 
self and  explain  the  use  of  each  article. 

While  exhibiting  the  various  articles,  I  did  not  neglect  to 
make  the  watch  strike  repeatedly,  which  created  the  greatest 
astonishment  and  surprise  among  the  spectators,  who  had  never 
seen  or  heard  any  thing  like  it.  I  then  added,  in  conclusion, 
that  it  was  my  sincere  wish,  after  having  remained  in  this  coun- 
try nearly  four  months,  confined  and  watched  like  a  prisoner, 
to  return  to  Kukawa  without  any  further  delay,  as  I  had  a  great 
deal  of  business  there,  and  at  the  present  moment  was  entirely 
destitute  of  means ;  but  that  if  he  would  guarantee  me  full  se- 
curity, and  if  circumstances  should  permit,  I  myself,  or  my  com- 
panion, would  return  at  a  later  period.  Such  a  security  having 
been  promised  to  me,  and  the  whole  of  my  speech  having  been 
approved  of,  I  went  away. 

I  had  scarcely  returned  to  my  quarters  when  the  two  rela- 
tions of  Maina  Belademi,  Maina  Kanadi  and  Sabun,  called  upon 
me,  with  a  very  mysterious  countenance,  and,  after  some  circum- 
locution, made  known  the  grave  errand  upon  which  they  had 


SECOND  AUDIENCE  WITH  THE  SULTAN. 


537 


been  sent,  which  was  to  ask  whether  I  had  not  a  cannon  with 
me ;  and  when  I  expressed  my  astonishment  at  their  thinking 
I  was  supplied  with  such  an  article,  while  my  whole  luggage 
was  carried  on  the  back  of  one  weak  she-camel,  they  stated  that 
the  sultan  was  at  least  anxious  to  know  whether  I  was  not 
able  to  manufacture  one  myself.  Having  professed  my  inabil- 
ity to  do  so,  they  went  away,  but  returned  the  next  day,  with 
many  compliments  from  their  master,  who,  they  said,  was  anx- 
ious that  I  should  accept  from  his  hands  a  handsome  female 
slave,  of  whose  charms  they  gave  a  very  eloquent  description, 
and  that  it  was  his  intention  to  furnish  me  with  a  camel,  and 
provide  me  with  two  horsemen  who  should  escort  me  back  to 
Bornu.  I  told  him  that,  although  sensible  of  my  solitary  situ- 
ation, I  could  not  accept  such  a  thing  as  a  slave  from  the  sul- 
tan, and  that  I  did  not  care  about  any  thing  else  but  permission 
to  depart,  except  that  I  should  feel  obliged  to  him  if  he  would 
give  me  a  few  specimens  of  their  manufactures.  They  then 
promised  that  the  next  day  I  should  have  another  audience  with 
the  sultan,  and  they  kept  their  word. 

This  time,  also,  I  was  only  able  to  address  the  sultan  without 
seeing  him,  when  I  repeated  my  request  that  he  would  allow 
me  to  depart  without  any  further  delay,  as  I  had  most  urgent 
business  in  Kukawa ;  but  I  received  the  answer  that,  although 
the  road  was  open  to  me,  the  sultan,  as  the  powerful  ruler  of  a 
mighty  kingdom,  could  not  allow  me  to  depart  empty-handed. 
I  then,  in  order  to  further  my  request,  presented  him  with  a 
small  telescope,  in  the  use  of  which  I  instructed  his  people. 
Having  returned  to  my  quarters,  I  assured  my  friends,  who 
came  to  inform  me  that  it  was  the  sultan's  intention  to  make 
me  a  splendid  present  in  return  for  those  I  had  given  him,  that 
I  did  not  care  for  any  thing  except  a  speedy  return  to  Bornu, 
as  there  was  no  prospect  that  I  should  be  allowed  to  penetrate 
farther  eastward.  But  all  my  protests  proved  useless,  as  these 
people  were  too  little  acquainted  with  the  European  character, 
and  there  were  too  many  individuals  who,  if  I  did  not  care 
about  getting  any  thing,  were  anxious  to  obtain  something  for 
themselves ;  I  was  therefore  obliged  to  abandon  myself  to  pa- 
tience and  resignation. 


538 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Jileanwliile  I  learned  that  the  sultan  had  at  first  entertained 
the  fear  that  I  might  poison  him  or  kill  him  by  a  charm,  and 
that  he  had  repeatedly  consulted  with  his  learned  men  and 
counselors  how  he  should  protect  himself  against  my  witchcraft. 
However,  on  the  second  day  after  my  first  audience  he  gave  me 
the  satisfaction  of  sending  the  inspector  of  the  river,  or  the  kha- 
lifa ba,  together  with  that  servant  of  his  (or  kashella)  who  had 
put  me  into  chains  at  Mele,  in  order  to  beg  my  pardon  officially, 
which  of  course  I  granted  to  them  most  cordially,  as  I  was  too 
well  aware  that  a  traveler  in  a  new  country  can  not  expect  to 
to  be  well  treated.  As  for  that  Piillo  or  Fellata  individual,  res- 
ident in  Bagirmi,  who  (by  inspiring  the  ferrymen  at  the  fron- 
tier with  fear  and  suspicion  concerning  my  entering  the  country) 
had  been  the  chief  cause  of  the  injurious  treatment  which  I  had 
experienced,  he  had  been  introduced  to  me  some  time  previous 
to  the  arrival  of  the  sultan  by  my  cheerful  and  good-natured 
friend  Bu-Bakr  of  Bakada,  when,  against  my  wish,  he  persisted 
in  clearing  himself  by  an  oath  that  he  had  done  me  no  harm. 
This  he  managed  rather  cleverly  by  swearing  that  he  had  never 
instigated  the  ferrymen  to  drown  me  in  the  river,  a  crime  which 
I  was  very  far  from  laying  to  his  charge.  However,  it  being 
my  desire  to  be  on  good  terms  with  all  the  people,  I  expressed 
my  satisfaction,  and  dismissed  him.  On  all  these  occasions  I 
had  full  opportunity  of  discovering  the  sincere  friendship  which 
Bu-Bakr  felt  for  me,  who,  being  well  aware  of  the  impetuous 
character  of  Europeans,  did  not  cease  exhorting  me  to  patience 
— "sabr,  sabr,"  "kanadi,  kanadi"' — -certainly  the  most  moment- 
ous words  for  any  traveler  in  these  regions. 

July  I  had  entertained  the  hope  of  being  able  to  get 

off  before  the  great  feast,  or  'Aid  el  kebir,  here  called  "Ngum- 
re  ngolo ;"  but  it  approached  without  any  preparation  for  my 
departure  having  been  made.  A  general  custom  prevails  in  this 
country  that,  in  order  to  celebrate  this  holiday,  all  the  people  of 
the  neighboring  places  must  come  into  the  town ;  and  for  the 
chief  men  of  each  place  this  is  even  a  duty,  by  neglecting  which 
they  would  incur  a  severe  penalty.  But  on  the  present  occa- 
sion the  holiday  was  changed  into  a  day  of  mourning,  for  at 


AN  UNFAVORABLE  DAY. 


539 


the  dawn  of  this  very  day,  Maina  Belademi,  who  was  generally 
esteemed  as  the  most  excellent  man  in  the  country,  died,  caus- 
ing a  severe  loss  to  the  sultan  himself,  whose  confidence  he  en- 
joyed to  the  fullest  extent,  having  saved  the  life  of  his  father 
when  persecuted  by  his  facha. 

According  to  his  own  request,  the  deceased  was  not  buried  in 
or  near  the  town,  but  was  carried  a  distance  of  several  miles,  to 
a  place  called  Bidderi,  which,  as  I  shall  have  another  occasion 
to  explain,  was  the  first  seat  of  Islam  in  this  country,  and  is  still 
the  residence  of  some  highly-respected  religious  chiefs. 

This  sad  event,  though  it  was  not  unforeseen,  cast  a  gloom 
over  the  whole  festival,  and  it  was  not  till  about  noon  that  the 
sultan  left  the  town  in  order  to  offer  up  his  prayers  in  the  old 
ruined  quarter  toward  the  west ;  for,  as  I  have  already  had  re- 
peated occasion  to  remark,  it  is  a  sacred  custom  all  over  Negro- 
land  that  the  sovereign  of  the  country  on  this  day  can  not  say 
his  prayers  inside  the  town.  Having  remained  in  the  old  di- 
lapidated quarter,  in  a  tent  which  had  been  pitched  for  the  oc- 
casion, till  after  "dhohor,"he  returned  into  the  town;  but  the 
day,  which  had  begun  unfavorably,  ended  also  with  a  bad  omen, 
for  in  the  evening  a  storm  broke  out,  of  such  violence  that  three 
apartments  inside  the  palace  came  down  with  a  frightful  crash, 
and  caused  a  great  uproar  in  the  whole  quarter,  as  if  the  town 
had  been  taken  by  an  enemy. 

Fortunately,  I  myself  had  taken  sufficient  precaution  to 
strengthen  the  roof  of  my  house,  so  that  although  the  floor  was 
entirely  swamped,  the  roof  remained  firm ;  for  having  observed, 
some  days  previously,  that  the  principal  beam  which  supported 
the  terrace  was  broken,  and  having  endeavored  in  vain  to  per- 
suade my  host  to  have  it  repaired,  I  ordered  my  servants  to 
take  away  a  large  pole  from  a  neighboring  court-yard,  and  place 
it  as  a  support  for  the  roof. 

Since  the  return  of  the  sultan,  the  rainy  season  had  set  in 
with  great  violence,  and  it  rained  almost  daily.  The  conse- 
quence was,  that  the  open  places  and  the  wide  uninhabited  quar- 
ters of  the  town  were  again  clad  in  the  freshest  verdure,  the 
whole  affording  a  very  pleasant  aspect,  while  the  beda,  or  bahr, 


540 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


was  filling  with  water.  There  was  now  also  much  more  inter- 
course in  the  town,  since  the  people  had  returned  from  the  ex- 
pedition ;  but  I  did  not  stir  about  so  much  as  before,  not  only 
on  account  of  the  wet,  but  also  owing  to  the  effrontery  of  some 
of  the  slaves ;  for  these  people,  who  are  scarcely  acquainted 
with  any  other  kind  of  dress  than  a  black  shirt,  and  who  alto- 
gether occupy  a  low  stage  in  civilization,  found  constant  fault 
with  my  dress,  and,  with  a  few  exceptions,  were  not  on  good 
terms  with  me. 

On  account  of  my  poverty,  which  did  not  allow  me  to  make 
many  presents  except  needles,  I  had  certainly  deserved  the  title 
of  "  Needle-prince"  or  "  Malaribra,"  which  they  had  given  me ; 
but,  besides  this,  the  natives  had  also  given  me  another  nick- 
name, meaning  "Father  of  the  three,"  which  originated  in  my 
wearing  generally,  besides  stockings,  a  pair  of  thin  leather  slip- 
pers and  thick  overshoes,  while  these  people  usually  go  bare- 
foot, and  do  not  even  wear  sandals  except  when  tliey  go  to  a 
great  distance. 

Occasionally,  however,  I  visited  the  market,  which,  althougli 
at  present  in  many  respects  better  stocked,  was  not  so  regularly 
kept,  owing  to  the  rains,  and  not  so  well  attended  on  account  of 
the  labors  which  were  going  on  in  the  fields.  Even  slaves  were 
now  brought  into  the  market,  sometimes  as  many  as  thirty, 
each  being  sold  for  from  25  to  30  khalags  or  kholgan  ("lebu," 
common  white  shirts),  a  price  equal  to  from  six  to  seven  Span- 
ish dollars.  Cattle,  too,  were  at  present  numerous,  having  not 
only  been  brought  in  from  the  pagan  tribes,  who  seem  to  pos- 
sess only  a  limited  supply  and  of  a  small  breed,  but  having  been 
taken  in  far  larger  numbers  from  the  Shuwa  tribe  of  the  Degha- 
ghera,  under  pretext  of  their  disobedience.  A  good  fat  ox  was 
sold  for  eight  khalags,  or  a  little  less  than  two  dollars.  During 
my  stay  in  Mele  I  had  observed  that  sheep  were  taken  from 
Bagirmi  to  Bornu,  to  be  sold  there. 

In  my  expectation  of  being  allowed  to  depart  without  further 
delay,  I  was  sadly  disappointed,  and  day  after  day  passed  by 
without  any  preparation  for  my  departure.  Besides,  I  had  rea- 
son to  complain  of  inhospitable  treatment ;  for,  although  I  oc- 


PRESENT  FROM  THE  SULTAN. 


541 


casionally  received  a  dish  from  the  sultan,  far  more  frequently 
I  remained  without ;  but  I  was  told,  upon  inquiry,  that  the 
slaves  who  were  ordered  to  bring  me  my  food  used  to  keep  it 
for  themselves. 

August  1st.  It  was  not  till  this  day  that  I  became  convinced 
that  my  departure  was  close  at  hand,  from  the  fact  that  the 
slaves  of  my  host  began  to  dig  up  the  soil  in  my  court-yard,  in 
order  to  sow  it  with  deraba  or  bamiya  {Hibiscus  escule7itus) ; 
for  if  I  had  been  going  to  stay  longer,  my  camel  would  soon 
have  destroyed  the  seed.  But,  nevertheless,  several  days  elapsed 
before  affairs  were  finally  settled. 

August  6tA.  At  length,  in  the  afternoon,  there  came  a  long 
cortege  from  the  sultan,  conducted  by  Zerma  or  Kadamange, 
Sabun,  and  Kanadi,  with  a  present  of  fifty  shirts  of  every  kind, 
and  which  altogether  might  be  valued  at  about  thirty  dollars. 
Among  the  shirts  were  seven  of  a  better  sort,  all  of  which  I  sent 
to  England,  with  the  exception  of  one,  which  was  very  light, 
consisting  of  silk  and  cotton,  and  which  I  kept  for  my  own 
wear  ;  there  were,  besides,  twenty-three  white  ones  of  a  bette]- 
kind,  and  twenty  common  market  tobes. 

While  presenting  me  with  this  royal  gift,  and  explaining  that 
the  sultan  was  sorry  that  I  would  not  accept  from  his  hands 
any  thing  more  valuable,  either  slaves  or  ivory,  Zerma  an- 
nounced to  me  officially  that  I  might  now  start  when  I  thought 
proper ;  that  hitherto  neither  the  people  of  Bagirmi  had  known 
me  nor  I  them,  but  that  if  I  were  to  return  I  mio-ht  re2;ard  Ba- 
girmi  as  my  own  country.  While  expressing  my  thanks  to  the 
sultan  for  his  present,  as  well  as  for  the  permission  to  depart,  I 
told  the  messenger  that  if  they  wished  that  either  I  or  my 
brother  (companion)  should  ever  visit  their  country  again,  the 
sultan  ought  to  give  me  a  paper,  testifying  his  permission 
by  a  special  writ,  sealed  with  his  own  royal  seal.  This  they 
promised,  and,  moreover,  told  me  that  a  man  from  the  sul- 
tan should  accompany  me  to  the  river,  in  order  to  protect 
me  against  any  further  intrigues  of  the  ferrymen,  my  great  en- 
emies. 

The  sultan's  munificence,  although  not  great,  enabled  me  to 


542 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


reward  my  friends  and  attendants.  I  had  already  divided  the 
turkedi  Avliicli  I  had  received  from  Kukawa  among  those  near- 
est to  me,  except  two  or  three,  which  I  sold  in  the  market  in 
order  to  buy  provisions.  And  of  these  tobes  likewise  I  divided 
thirty  among  the  people  of  Zerma,  my  own  attendants,  the  Faki 
Sambo,  Bu-Bakr,  and  my  other  friends.  The  poor  Haj  A^hmed, 
who  sustained  himself  here  with  great  difficulty,  was  very  grate- 
ful for  my  present,  and  offered  up  fervent  prayers  for  my  safe 
arrival  at  home,  although  he  would  have  liked  better  if  I  had 
accompanied  him  on  his  journey  eastward  through  Waday  and 
Dar-Fur. 

But,  although  on  my  first  arrival  in  this  country  I  had  enter- 
tained the  hope  that  it  might  be  possible  to  accomplish  such  an 
undertaking,  I  had  convinced  myself  that,  not  taking  into  ac- 
count my  entire  want  of  proper  means,  it  would  be  imprudent, 
under  the  present  circumstances,  to  attempt  such  a  thing ;  for 
the  state  of  affairs  in  the  country  of  Waday  was  exceedingly 
unfavorable  at  the  time,  a  destructive  civil  war  having  just  raged, 
and  matters  not  being  yet  settled.  My  own  situation  in  this 
country,  moreover,  was  too  uncertain  to  allow  me  to  have  suf- 
ficient supplies  sent  after  me  to  embark  in  such  a  grand  enter- 
prise ;  and  besides,  although  I  had  become  fully  aware  of  the 
great  interest  which  attaches  to  the  empire  of  Waday,  as  well 
owing  to  the  considerable  extent  of  its  political  power  as  on  ac- 
count of  the  great  variety  of  elements  of  which  it  is  composed, 
and  also  on  account  of  its  lying  on  the  water-parting  between 
the  basin  of  the  Tsad  and  that  of  the  Nile,  I  felt  quite  sure  that 
the  western  part  of  Negroland,  along  the  middle  course  of  the 
so-called  Niger,  was  a  far  nobler  and  more  fruitful  field  for  my 
exertions.  However,  there  was  one  favorable  circumstance  for 
attempting  at  that  time  a  journey  into  Waday,  as  the  messen- 
gers of  the  sultan  (or  rather  of  Jerma  or  Zerma,  one  of  the  most 
powerful  officers  in  that  country,  who  has  the  inspection  of  this 
province)  were  at  present  here,  in  order  to  collect  the  tribute 
which  Bagirmi,  in  its  present  reduced  state,  has  to  pay  to  its 
mightier  neighbor. 

As  for  my  friend  the  Sherif  Sliman,  he  behaved  like  a  gen- 


CAUSE  OF  MY  DETENTION  EXPLAINED. 


543 


tleman  on  this  occasion,  refusing  my  shirts,  but  begging  for  a 
little  camphor  and  a  pair  of  English  scissors. 

August  St/i,  After  all  the  delay  was  overcome,  I  at  length 
became  aware  what  had  been  the  cause  of  it ;  for  in  the  after- 
noon of  that  day  my  noble  companion  Grema  'Abdu,  who  had 
left  me  so  unceremoniously  before  I  reached  the  capital,  and 
who  altogether  had  been  of  so  little  use  to  me,  came  to  inform 
me  that  all  was  now  ready  for  our  departure,  he  having  received 
the  five  slaves  whom  he  was  to  take  to  Kukawa,  partly  for  his 
own  benefit,  and  partly  for  the  benefit  of  his  master  Mestrema, 
who,  as  I  have  stated  before,  held  a  situation  something  like  a 
consul  of  Bagirmi  in  the  capital  ofBornu.  Indeed,  there  were 
now  unm.istakable  signs  that  I  was  at  length  to  leave  this  place, 
for  the  following  day  I  w^as  treated  with  a  large  dish  of  rice  and 
meat,  swimming  in  a  rich  abundance  of  butter,  from  the  sultan, 
and  another  dish  from  my  niggardly  liost  the  zerma  or  ka da- 
mange;  and  on  the  10th  of  August  I  really  left  the  capital  of 
Bagirmi,  where  I  had  certainly  staid  mucli  longer  than  I  had 
desired,  as  I  was  not  allowed  to  move  freely  about  in  the  coun- 
try, but  where,  nevertheless,  I  was  enabled  to  collect  a  great 
deal  of  valuable  information,  of  which  that  part  relating  to  the 
history  and  general  condition  of  the  country  I  shall  detail  in 
the  following  chapter,  in  order  to  inspire  the  reader  with  a  great- 
er degree  of  interest  in  these  little-known  regions,  while  other 
matter  will  be  given  in  the  Appendix. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

HISTOEICAL  SURVEY  OF  BAGIRMI. — GENERAL  CONDITION  OF 
THE  COUNTRY  AND  ITS  INHABITANTS. 

With  regard  to  tlie  history  of  the  eastern  part  of  Negroland 
we  are  still  worse  off  than  with  regard  to  the  western  countries, 
however  scanty  the  documents  relating  to  the  latter  regions 
may  be,  although  I  may  hope  that,  by  my  labors,  a  great  deal 


544 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


more  light  lias  been  shed  upon  the  history  of  these  quarters 
than  was  even  suspected  to  exist  before.  But  while,  for  the 
kingdom  of  Songhay,  with  its  celebrated  towns  Gogo  and  Tim- 
buktu, we  have  now  obtained  an  almost  continuous  historical 
account  by  the  tarikh  of  A^hmed  Baba,  and  while  for  Bornu  tol- 
erably rich  materials  have  likewise  come  to  our  hands  by  means 
of  the  chronicles  of  that  empire  and  of  the  relation  of  Imam  A^h- 
med,  for  this  eastern  part  of  Negroland  (which  comprises  the 
countries  of  Bagirmi,  Waday,  or  Dar  Sulay  and  Dar-Fur)  no 
such  documents  have  as  yet  been  found,  and,  besides  the  in- 
formation to  be  gathered  from  the  natives,  only  a  few  detached 
and  obscure  statements  have  been  handed  down  to  us  by  the 
Arab  writers  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

Those  of  the  latter  which  relate  in  general  to  Kanem,  and  its 
capital  Nijimi  or  Njimiye,  I  have  already  referred  to  in  the  histor- 
ical sketch  which  I  have  given  of  the  empire  of  Bornu ;  and  the 
only  circumstances  which  these  writers  mention  with  regard  to 
the  more  eastern  regions  are  the  general  names  of  tribes,  such 
as  the  Zoghawa  and  the  Bajo,*  mentioned  by  E^bn  S'aid,  and, 
on  his  authority,  by  Abii  '1  Feda,  as  related  tribes,  j 

The  only  author  who  distinctly  speaks  of  these  eastern  re- 
gions is  the  Spanish  IMoor  generally  known  under  the  name  of 
Leo  Africanus ;  for  it  is  he  who  describes  in  this  eastern  quar- 
ter a  large  and  powerful  kingdom,  which  he  calls  Gaoga.  This 
name,  especially  on  account  of  its  similarity  to  the  name  of  the 
Songhay  capital,  as  the  latter  was  generally  written  by  the  Ar- 
abs, has  caused  a  great  deal  of  confusion,  and  has  given  rise  to 

*  The  difficulty  with  regard  to  the  name  Bajo  is  considerable ;  for  no  such 
name  as  the  Bajo  is  known,  while  the  Dajo  are  a  well-known  tribe,  who  domi- 
nated Dar-Fiir  in  the  tenth  century  of  the  Islam,  and  even  at  the  present  day  are 
called  "  nas  Far'aon."  Nevertheless,  we  can  not  imagine  that  the  name  Bajo  is 
a  mere  clerical  error  for  Dajo,  unless  we  would  suppose  those  authors  guilty  of  a 
very  considerable  mistake,  as  the  Dajo  seem  to  be  of  an  entirely  distinct  origin 
from  the  Zoghawa,  who  belong  to  the  great  Teda  stock,  while  the  former  appear 
to  have  originated  in  the  mountainous  district  of  Fazoglo,  and  the  Bajo  are  ex- 
pressly stated  by  those  authors  to  have  been  the  kinsmen  of  the  Zoghawa.  The 
Bajo  may  be  identical  with  the  tribe  of  the  Bedeyat.  With  regard  to  the  Zaghay 
of  Makrizi  and  the  Soka  of  Masudi,  I  have  already  olfered  an  opinion  on  a  former 
occasion.  f  E'bn  S'aid,  in  A'bu  '1  Feda,  p.  158. 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GAOGA. 


545 


numerous  gratuitous  conjectures.  But  if  we  compare  Leo's 
statements,  which  are  certainly  veiy  vague,  and  written  down 
from  memory  after  a  lapse  of  several  years,  but  especially 
what  he  says  about  the  political  relations  of  Gaoga,  with  the 
empire  of  Bomu,  there  can  not  be  the  least  doubt  that  his  Gaoga 
is  identical  with  what  the  Bornu  people  call  the  empire  of  Bu- 
lala.  And  the  reason  why  he  called  it  Gaoga  is  obvious ;  for 
the  Bulala,  who  originally  formed  a  branch  of  the  princely  fam- 
ily of  Kanem,  guided  by  Jil  (sumamed  Shikomemi,  from  his 
mother  Shikoma),  founded  their  empire  in  the  territory  of  the 
tribe  of  the  Kuka,*  who  in  former  times  were  very  powerful, 
occupying  a  great  extent  of  country,  from  the  eastern  part  of 
Bagirmi  as  far  as  the  interior  of  Dar-Fiir,  the  place  Shebma, 
on  the  shore  of  the  Bat-ha,  being  then  the  principal  seat  of  their 
power,  while  their  head-quarters  at  present  are  in  the  province 
of  Fittri.f  Here,  owing  to  their  introducing  Islam  and  a  cer- 
tain degree  of  civilization,  together  with  the  Arabic  alphabet  call- 
ed "  warash,"the  Bulala  soon  appear  to  have  obtained  the  sov- 
ereign power,  while  they  founded  Y'aw6+  as  their  new  residence. 
While  viewing  the  relations  of  the  countries  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Tsad  in  this  light,  we  get  rid  of  every  difficulty  which  may 
seem  to  be  implied  in  the  statements  relating  to  Gaoga ;  for, 
when  Leo  says  that  the  language  of  that  country  was  identical 
with  the  idiom  of  Bornu,  he  evidently  only  speaks  of  the  language 
then  used  by  the  dynasty  and  the  ruling  tribe  of  the  country, 
with  whom,  on  his  visit  to  that  kingdom,  he  came  into  contact, 
and  who  were  of  the  same  origin  as  the  Bomu  people,  while  at 
present,  having  intermingled  and  intermarried  with  the  indigen- 
ous population,  the  Bulala,  who  are  still  the  ruling  family  in 

^  The  Bagirmi  people,  eren  at  the  present  day,  connect  the  Bulala  in  the  most 
intimate  way  with  the  Kaniiri ;  for,  wliile  they  give  to  the  latter  the  name 
"Biyo,"  they  call  the  former  "  Bjyo-Bulala." 

t  I  will  here  mention  that  Fittrf  is  a  word  belonging  to  the  language  of  the 
Kiika,  and  means  nothing  but  "river,"  "lake,"  being  quite  identical  witli 
"Tsad,"  "  Sari"  or  "  Shary." 

X  The  name  Y'awo  is  formed  entirely  in  the  same  way  as  that  of  M'awo,  the 
present  capital  of  Kanem,  and  of  G'ao  or  G'awo,  also  called  G6g6,  the  capital  of 
the  Songhay  empire. 

Vol.  II. — Jl  M 


546 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Fittri,  appear  to  have  forgotten  their  own  language,  and  have 
adopted  that  of  the  Kiika.  At  the  time  when  Leo  wrote  his 
description  of  Africa,  or,  rather,  at  the  period  when  he  visited 
Negroland  (for  of  the  events  which  happened  after  he  left  the 
country  he  possessed  only  an  imperfect  knowledge),  the  Bulala 
were  just  in  the  zenith  of  their  powder,  being  masters  of  all  Ka- 
nem,  and  (according  to  the  information  of  Makrizi  and  A^bu  '1 
Feda)  having  in  the  latter  half  of  the  fourteenth  century  even 
subjected  to  their  dominion  the  large  tribe  of  the  Zoghawa,  may 
well  have  entered  into  the  most  intimate  political  relations  witli 
the  rulers  of  Egypt,  as  already,  a  century  previous  to  the  time 
of  Leo,  Makrizi  found  ample  opportunity  in  Egypt  to  collect  all 
the  latest  news  with  regard  to  the  dynasty  of  Kanem. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  can  easily  imagine  how  Leo  could  call 
the  Prince  of  Gaoga  a  Mohammedan,  while  the  learned  men  of 
the  country  positively  affirm  that  the  Islam  in  these  regions 
dates  no  farther  back  than  the  eleventh  century  of  the  Hejra, 
the  beginning  of  which  exactly  coincides  with  that  of  the  sev- 
enteenth century  of  our  era,  and,  consequently,  about  a  century 
after  Leo's  visit  to  Africa;  for  Leo  speaks  only  of  the  rulers 
themselves,  whose  religious  creed,  probably,  had  no  influence 
upon  the  people  of  the  country  in  general.  Leo's  statement  en- 
tirely harmonizes  with  the  information  gleaned  from  Makrizi ; 
for  the  princes  of  Kanem,  in  the  time  of  the  latter  historian, 
were  identical  with  the  rulers  of  that  very  kingdom  which  Leo 
calls  Gaoga,  although  in  Makrizi's  time  they  seem  to  have  es- 
tablished the  capital  of  their  empire  in  Njimiye,  which  they  had 
conquered  from  the  Bornu  dynasty.* 

Moreover,  this  apparent  discrepancy  receives  further  explana- 
tion from  the  fact  that,  soon  after  Leo  visited  these  regions,  the 
pagan  nation  of  the  Tynjur  extended  their  empire  from  Dar- 
Fur  to  the  very  borders  of  Bagirmi,  opposing  a  strong  barrier 
to  the  propagation  of  Islam.  Respecting  the  name  'Omar,  by 
which  Leo  designates  the  King  of  the  Bulala  in  his  time,  I  have 
already  given  an  opinion  on  a  former  occasion.    The  Tynjur,  of 

*  With  regard  to  their  places  of  residence  in  the  time  of  Edn's  Alawoma,  sec 
Appendix  III. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  BAGI'RMI. 


547 


whose  original  language  I  have  not  been  able  to  collect  any 
specimens,  and  which  seems  to  be  almost  extinct,  are  said  to 
have  come  from  Dongola,  where  they  had  separated  from  the 
Batalesa,  the  well-known  Egyptian  tribe  originally  settled  in 
Benese.  Advancing  from  Dongola,  the  Tynjur  are  said  to  have 
vanquished  first  the  Dajo,  who,  as  has  been  stated  before,  were 
at  that  period  masters  of  Dar-Fur,  and  in  course  of  time  spread 
over  the  whole  of  Waday,  and  over  part  of  Bagirmi,  making 
Kadama,  a  place  situated  about  three  days'  march  to  the  S.W. 
of  Wara,  and  half  way  between  Malam  and  Kashemere,  the 
capital  of  their  extensive  empire.  They  maintained  their  do- 
minion, as  far  as  regards  Waday,  according  to  native  tradition, 
ninety-nine  lunar  years,  while  the  eastern  portion  of  this  loose- 
ly connected  group  of  different  nationalities,  which  had  been 
conquered  at  an  earlier  period,  was  wrested  from  their  hands 
much  sooner  by  Kuro  vanquishing  the  Tynjur,  and  founding 
the  pagan  kingdom  of  Dar-Fur,  some  time  before  the  general 
introduction  of  Islam  into  these  countries.  This  Kuro  himself 
was  the  third  predecessor  of  Sliman,  the  first  Moslim  prince  of 
Dar-Fur.  But  as  for  the  centre  of  the  empire  of  the  Tynjur,  it 
was  overthrown  by  the  founder  of  the  Mohammedan  empire  of 
Waday,  viz.,  'Abd  el  Kerim,  the  son  of  Yame — according  to 
tradition,  in  the  year  1020  of  the  Hejra. 

However,  of  the  kings  of  Waday  I  shall  not  speak  here,  as 
their  history  has  not  exactly  reference  to  the  country  we  arc 
now  describing.*  Here  I  will  only  introduce  a  few  remarks 
concerning  the  kings  of  Bagirmi. 

Bagirmif  is  said  to  have  emerged  from  the  gloom  of  pagan- 
ism prevailing  in  the  eastern  regions  of  Sudan  a  considerable 
time  after  Western  Sudan  had  been  formed  into  mighty  king- 

*  I  shall  give  a  short  account  of  the  history  of  that  country  in  Appendix  VII. 
t  Thus  the  name  is  generally  pronounced  in  the  country  itself ;  but  it  very 
often  sounds  like  Bagrimmi,  and  the  adjective  form  is  certainly  Bagrimma, 

which  often  sounds  like  Barma.  The  learned  men  write  ^^yj  and  in- 
differently, while  the  Bornu  people  write  the  name  Begharmi  ^^oyo  or  Be- 
karmi  ^^Jfj  • 


548 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


donis — some  years  subsequent  to  tlie  introduction  of  Islam  into 
VYaday.  But  in  the  same  manner  as  the  ruling  dynasty  Avliich 
gave  rise  to  this  new  kingdom  had  come  from  abroad,  so  like- 
wise the  founders  of  Bagirmi  seem  to  have  immigrated  into  the 
country;  and  from  whence  they  immigrated  can  scarcely  be 
doubtful,  though  they  themselves,  like  all  the  dominating  tribes 
of  Sudan,  would  much  rather  connect  their  origin  with  the  in- 
habitants of  Yemen.  But,  that  the  native  inhabitants  of  Ken- 
ga,  Ki'rsuwa,  and  Hirla  are  intimately  related  to  them,  they  are 
well  aware,  and  acknowledge  it  without  hesitation;  but  they 
would  try  to  make  people  believe  that,  in  coming  from  Yemen, 
their  chief  Dokkenge  left  at  those  places  brethren  of  his  as  gov- 
ernors. As  for  Hirla,  they  do  not  acknowledge  its  claims  to 
entire  equality  of  birth,  but  derive  the  name  of  that  place,  as 
well  as  the  family  of  the  kings  of  that  district,  from  a  slave  of 
Dokkenge  of  the  name  of  Kherallah.  But,  on  a  close  scrutiny, 
the  people  of  Bagirmi  confess  themselves  that  their  origin  is  not 
to  be  sought  for  at  a  greater  distance  than  Kenga,  or  Kenga  Ma- 
taya,*  and  that  this  place,  distant  five  days  east  from  Mas-eiia 
and  three  long  days  S.S.E.  from  Y'awo,  and  distinguished  by  the 
strange  form  of  its  paganism,!  was  the  original  seat  of  their  kings ; 
for  not  only  do  the  Bagirmaye  regard  those  of  Kenga  with  solemn 
veneration,  as  being  their  ancestors,  whom  it  would  be  wrong  to 
attack  or  to  endeavor  to  subdue,  but  there  are  also  certain  em- 
blems which  they  exhibit  on  particular  occasions,  brought,  as 
they  say,  from  Kenga.  These  consist  of  a  rather  long  spear, 
borne  on  certain  occasions  before  the  King  of  Bagirmi,  a  small 
sort  of  tympanum,  and  the  horn  or  bugle.  The  language  Kenga 
is  intimately  connected  with  that  of  Bagirmi,  while  it  contains 
also  some  elements  of  a  different  character ;  and  these  two  dia- 

*  From  all  that  I  have  said  here,  it  appears  very  doubtful  whether  the  Ibkarem, 

mentioned  by  E'bn  S'ai'd  in  the  latter  part  of  the  thirteenth  century,  can 

be  justly  identified  with  this  kingdom.  Of  course,  a  tribe  of  this  nanie  may  have 
existed  many  centuries  before  the  foundation  of  the  kingdom.  The  first  un- 
doubted mention  of  Bagi'rmi  or  Bagharmi  occurs  in  Imam  A'hmed's  account  of 
Edris  Alawoma's  expeditions  to  Kanem. 

^  See  collection  of  itineraries  in  the  Ap])endix. 


FOUNDATION  OF  MA'S-ENA'. 


549 


lects,  together  with  the  language  of  the  Kuka,  constitute  one 
idiom. 

But,  to  proceed  with  our  principal  inquiry,  the  emigrants,  led 
on  by  their  chief  Dokkenge,  penetrated,  it  would  seem,  toward 
the  west  by  the  road  marked  by  the  sites  of  Hirla,  Kirsuwa, 
and  Nairoma,  a  place  situated  near  Mas-efia,  on  the  Bachikam. 

The  state  of  the  country  where  this  pagan  prince  was  to  found 
the  new  kingdom,  at  the  time  when  this  happened  (that  is  to 
say,  about  300  years  ago),  was  as  follows.  On  the  spot  where 
the  capital  now  stands  there  is  said  to  have  been  nothing  but  a 
straggling  settlement  of  Fulbe  cattle-breeders ;  and  the  Bagir- 
maye  themselves  state  that  they  named  the  place  from  a  large 
'ardeb  or  tamarind-tree  (*'  mas"  in  the  Bagrimma  language), 
under  which  a  young  Fellani  girl  of  the  name  of  Eiia  was  sell- 
ing milk.  These  Fiilbe  (or  Fellata,  as  they  are  called  in  all  the 
eastern  parts  of  Sudan)  are  said  to  have  been  much  oppressed 
by  annual  inroads  of  the  Bulala;  and  it  was  Dokkenge  who 
undertook  to  protect  them  against  these  invaders.  With  the 
exception  of  this  Fellata  settlement,  a  few  Arab  or  Shuwa 
tribes,*  who  at  that  time  had  already  begun  to  spread  over  the 
country,  principally  the  Beni  Hassan,  and  the  solitary  settle- 
ment of  a  Fellata  sheikh,  or  holy  man,  in  Bidderi,  a  place  about 
nine  miles  east  from  Mas-ena  (who,  however  isolated  he  was, 
nevertheless  exercised  a  very  remarkable  influence  over  the  in- 
troduction of  Islamism  into  these  countries),  all  the  rest  of  its 
inhabitants,  as  well  as  the  chief  Dokkenge  himself,  were  pagans. 

In  the  centre  of  the  country  there  were  four  petty  kingdoms, 
all  situated  on  the  small  branch  of  the  Shari  generally  called 
Bachikam,  viz.,  that  of  Matiya,  Mabberat,  Marine,  and  finally 
that  of  Mere  or  Damre.  Dokkenge,  installing  himself  near  the 
spot  which  was  originally  called  Mas-ena,  and  forming  a  small 
settlement,  is  said  to  have  subdued  these  four  petty  kings  by 
stratagem,  and,  having  driven  back  the  Bulala,  to  have  formed 
in  a  short  time  a  considerable  dominion.  He  is  reported  fo 
have  reigned  a  long  time,  and  to  have  been  succeeded  by  his 

*  The  fact  of  the  spreading  of  the  Arabs  at  so  early  a  period  is  entirely  con- 
fiiTTied  by  Imam  A'hmed's  account. 


550 


TKAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


brother,  of  tlie  name  of  Lubetko,  to  whom  succeeded  Delubirm*, 
under  whose  dominion  the  kingdom  of  Baglrmi  spread  consid- 
erably. The  eldest  son  of  Delubirni  was  ]\Ial6,  who  ascended 
the  throne,  but  was  soon  after  engaged  in  a  desperate  struggle 
with  a  younger  brother  of  his,  named  'Abd- Allah,  who,  it  is  said, 
had  been  converted  to  Islamism,  and  thought  himself,  in  conse- 
quence, better  fitted  to  ascend  the  throne.  After  being  defeated 
by  Delubirni  on  one  occasion,  'Abd-Allah  is  said  to  have  van- 
quished his  brother,  with  the  assistance  of  the  pagan  tribes,  and 
to  have  slain  him,  after  a  most  sanguinary  conflict  in  the  midst 
of  the  town,  which  lasted  for  several  days. 

Having  thus  ascended  the  throne,  and  consolidated  his  do- 
minion by  the  blood  of  all  his  kinsfolk,  'Abd-Allah,  the  first 
Moslim  prince  of  Baglrmi,  is  said  to  have  contributed  largely  to 
the  prosperity  of  his  country,  into  which  he  introduced  Islam- 
ism ;  and  he  is  stated  also  to  have  increased  the  capital  to  its 
present  extent.  The  beginning  of  his  reign  falls  about  ten  years 
after  the  foundation  of  the  empire  of  Waday  by  'Abd  el  Kerim, 
the  son  of  Yame.  As  to  the  order  of  his  successors  (all  the 
Moslim  kings  of  Bagirmi  numbering  fourteen),  it  seems  to  be  as 
follows : 

To  'Abd-Allah  succeeded,  as  it  seems,  Wonja,  wlio  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son  Laweni,  after  whom  followed  Bugomanda. 
Of  these  princes  very  little,  if  any  thing,  appears  to  be  known. 
But  then  followed  a  glorious  reign,  which  marked  another  epoch 
in  the  history  of  Bagi'rmi — I  mean  the  reign  of  the  king  Mo- 
hammed el  Amm,  who,  on  account  of  his  having  performed  a 
pilgrimage  to  Mekka,  is  also  called  El  Haj  ;  for  this  prince  not 
only  administered  the  government  of  his  country  with  more 
justice  than  his  predecessors  had  done,  and  made  it  respected 
by  his  neighbors,  but  he  also  considerably  extended  his  domin- 
ion and  sway,  as  he  not  only  snbdued  the  formerly  independent 
kingdom  of  Babaliya,  which  at  a  former  period  had  belonged  to 
Kanem,  and  whose  king  (of  the  name  of  Kabdu)  he  put  to 
death,  but  he  is  stated  also  to  have  extended  his  conquests  in 
the  opposite  direction  as  far  as  Gogomi,  a  strong  and  inaccessi- 
ble settlement,  situated  seven  or  eight  days'  march  to  the  south- 


•ABD  E'  RAHMA'N.— OTHMAN. 


551 


east'of  the  capital,  which  the  present  sultan  succeeded  in  sub- 
duing a  second  time  during  my  residence  in  the  country,  and 
which  was  thought  a  very  great  achievement.  It  is  even  said 
that  through  the  instrumentality  of  this  king  a  great  majority 
of  his  countrymen  adopted  Islamism. 

To  this  praiseworthy  prince  succeeded  his  son  'Abd  e'  Rah- 
man, whose  death  can  be  fixed  with  approximative  certainty,  as 
it  is  connected  with  the  history  of  the  neighboring  countries  ; 
for  it  was  he  against  whom  the  Sheikh  Mohammed  el  Kanemi 
solicited  the  assistance  of  'Abd  el  Kerim  Sabun,  the  Sultan  of 
Waday,  who  died  in  the  year  1815,  for  his  having  thrown  off 
the  supremacy  of  Bornu,  which  seems  to  have  been  established 
during  the  reign  of  Laweni.  The  easy  victory  which  the  ener- 
getic and  unscrupulous  ruler  of  Waday,  who  eagerly  grasped  at 
the  olFer  made  to  him,  is  said  to  have  gained  over  the  people  of 
Bagirmi,  is  attributed  to  the  consequences  of  a  severe  plague, 
which  had  swept  away  the  greater  part  of  the  full-grown  inhab- 
itants of  the  country,  and  to  the  circumstance  of  the  facha,  or 
general  of  tlie  army,  not  being  on  good  terms  with  his  sovereign, 
whom  he  is  stated  to  have  deserted  in  battle,  while  himself  fled 
with  his  whole  detachment.  Sabun,  after  having  put  to  death 
'Abd  e'  Rahman,  together  with  his  favorite  wife  or  ghumsu, 
and  having  carried  away  a  considerable  portion  of  the  popula- 
tion, and  all  the  riches  of  Bagirmi  collected  during  the  period 
of  their  power,  invested  the  younger  son  of  'Abd  e'  Rahman,  of 
the  name  of  M'allem  Ngarmaba  Beri,  with  the  title  of  king. 
However,  as  soon  as  Sabun  had  retraced  his  steps,  'Othman, 
the  eldest  son  of  'Abd  e'  Rahman,  with  the  surname  or  nick- 
name of  Bugoman,  who,  as  long  as  the  King  of  Waday  was  rav- 
aging the  country,  had  sought  refuge  behind  the  Shari,  in  the 
town  of  Bugoman  (the  same  place  the  governor  of  which  refused 
to  receive  me),  returned  home,  overcame  his  younger  brother, 
and,  having  put  out  his  eyes,  ascended  the  throne. 

But  the  King  of  Waday,  having  received  this  unfavorable 
news,  once  more  returned  to  Bagirmi,  vanquished  'Othman  in  a 
battle  fought  at  Moito,  drove  him  out  of  the  country,  and  rein- 
stated his  brother  upon  the  throne.    But  as  soon  as  Sabun  had 


552 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


turned  liis  bcack,  'Otliman  appeared  once  more,  drowned  his 
brother  in  the  river,  and  again  usurped  the  sovereign  power. 
However,  he  was  not  destined  to  enjoy  his  prize  for  a  long  time 
in  tranquilHty ;  for,  a  quarrel  having  broken  out  between  him 
and  the  facha  (the  same  person  who  had  been  on  bad  terms  with 
his  father),  this  man,  of  the  name  of  Ruweli,  who  by  his  per- 
sonal character  greatly  enhanced  the  power  and  influence  orig- 
inally united  with  his  authority,  and  who  was  supported  by  a 
strong  party,  deprived  the  sultan  of  his  dominion,  and,  having 
driven  him  out  of  the  country,  invested  with  supreme  authority 
a  younger  brother  of  his,  called  El  Haj,  whom,  in  order  to  distin- 
guish him  from  the  former  sultan  of  that  name,  we  may  call 
Haj  11.  'Othman,  having  fled  from  Biigoman,  his  usual  place 
of  refuge,  to  Gulfe,  the  Kotoko  town  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Shari,  where  he  was  collecting  a  force,  the  facha  marched  against 
him  and  vanquished  him.  'Othman,  however,  having  implored 
the  assistance  of  the  Sheikh  El  Kaneml,  and  being  assisted  by 
the  Shuwa  of  Bornu,  succeeded  in  collecting  another  army,  with 
which  he  once  more  returned,  but  was  again  beaten  in  a  battle 
fought  at  Shawi.  He,  however,  succeeded  in  crossing  the  river 
by  a  stratagem,  and  sought  refuge  with  'Amanuk,  that  mighty 
chief  of  the  Daghana  Shuwa,  well  known  from  Major  Denham's 
adventures ;  but,  being  pursued  by  his  adversary,  he  saw  no 
other  way  of  escape  open  to  him  than  to  throw  himself  into  the 
arms  of  his  former  enemy,  the  King  of  Waday,  and,  in  order  to 
obtain  his  assistance,  he  found  himself  compelled  to  stipulate, 
and  to  confirm  by  an  oath  sworn  on  the  Kuran,  that  he  and  his 
successors  should  pay  a  considerable  tribute  to  the  Prince  of 
Waday.  This  tribute,  to  be  paid  every  third  year,  consists  of 
a  hundred  ordinary  male  slaves,  thirty  handsome  female  slaves, 
one  hundred  horses,  and  a  thousand  shirts  or  kholgan,  called  by 
the  Waday  people  "  derketu,"  besides  ten  female  slaves,  four 
horses,  and  forty  shirts  to  Zerma  or  Jerma,  who  is  the  inspector 
of  this  province. 

Having  obtained  protection  in  consequence  of  this  treaty, 
which  rendered  Bagirmi  as  much  a  tributary  province  of  Waday 
as  it  had  been,  in  more  ancient  times,  of  Bornu,  'Othman  re- 


STRUGGLE  WITH  BO'RNU. 


553 


tui-ned  to  his  country,  and  succeeded  at  length  in  crushing  his 
powerful  and  hitherto  successful  rival,  whom  he  defeated  in  two 
battles,  the  one  fought  near  Kokoche,  on  the  Bachikam,  the  oth- 
er near  the  village  of  A^su,  on  the  banks  of  the  River  Shan. 
The  facha,  having  sought  and  found  refuge  in  Logon  birni. 
fought  one  more  battle  with  'Othman  near  a  place  called  Din- 
dor,  where  a  great  many  of  the  people  of  Waday  who  were  with 
him  are  said  to  have  fallen.  But  the  inhabitants  of  Logon,  fear- 
ing that  Ruweli  would  not  be  able  to  fight  his  quarrel  out,  and 
tliat  they  themselves  might  afterward  suffer  for  giving  him  pro- 
tection, thought  it  more  prudent  to  deliver  him  into  the  hands 
of  his  enemy,  and  succeeded  in  doing  so  by  stratagem.  This 
ambitious  man  is  stated  to  have  died  in  Waday,  'Othman  having 
delivered  him  to  Sabun. 

The  restless  Prince  of  Bagirmi  obtained  a  little  tranquillit}- 
as  long  as  Sabun  lived ;  but  Yusuf,  who  succeeded  the  latter, 
dissatisfied  with  him,  put  forth  another  pretender,  of  the  name 
of  Jarifiilme,  and  'Othman  had  scarcely  succeeded  in  overcom- 
ing this  enemy,  which  he  did  without  much  trouble,  when  he 
had  to  fight  in  another  quarter ;  for  Mohammed  el  Kanemi,  the 
Sheikh  of  Bornu  (who  had  assisted  him  to  reascend  the  throne 
with  the  sole  object  of  regaining  the  ancient  supremacy  which 
Bornu  had  exercised  over  Bagirmi),  when  he  became  aware  that 
he  had  not  attained  his  object,  commenced  open  hostilities  against 
him,  which  gave  rise  to  a  struggle  carried  on  for  a  number  of 
years  with  equal  success  on  either  side,  but  without  any  great 
result,  except  the  ruin  of  the  provinces  near  their  respective 
frontiers.  The  Sheikh  of  Bornu,  beset  at  the  time  by  other 
difficulties,  and  seeing  tliat  he  should  be  unable  by  himself  to 
crush  the  power  of  Bagirmi,  is  then  said  to  have  called  in  the 
aid  of  Yusuf  Basha,  of  Tripoli,  w^ho,  in  the  year  1818,  sent  ^lus- 
tafa  el  xVhmar,  at  that  time  Sultan  of  Fezzan,  together  with 
Mukni  and  the  Sheikh  El  Barud,  to  his  assistance,  who,  laying- 
waste  the  whole  northwestern  part  of  Bagirmi,  and  destroying- 
its  most  considerable  places,  Babaliya  and  Gawi,  carried  away 
a  great  number  of  slaves,  among  whom  was  Agid  Musa,  one  of 
my  principal  informants  in  all  that  relates  to  Bagirmi. 


554 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


This  happened  about  the  time  of  Captain  Lyon's  expedition. 
At  a  later  period  Mukni  returned  once  more  with  'Abd  el  Jelil, 
the  celebrated  chief  of  the  Welad  Sliman,  who  had  accompanied 
the  former  expedition  in  a  rather  subordinate  character;  but, 
having  quarreled  with  this  distinguished  chieftain,  who  discoun- 
tenanced Mukni's  intention  of  overrunning  the  country  of  Bor- 
nu,  he  himself  returned  home,  sending  in  his  stead  Haj  I'bra- 
him,  who  plundered  and  ransacked  the  town  of  Moito,  and  car- 
ried its  inhabitants  into  slavery,  while  'Abd  el  Jelil  did  the 
same  with  Kanem.  Then  followed,  in  the  year  1824,  the  sec- 
ond battle  of  Ngala,  of  which  Major  Denham  has  given  an  ac- 
count in  his  Narrative.  However,  notwithstanding  his  partial 
success,  the  Sheikh  of  Bornu  was  not  able  to  reduce  entirely  the 
inhabitants  of  Bagirmi,  who,  although  not  so  numerous,  and 
much  inferior  to  their  neighbors  in  horsemanship,  are  certainly 
superior  to  them  in  courage. 

There  was  still  another  quarter  from  whence  Bagirmi  was 
threatened  during  the  restless  reign  of  'Othman,  namely,  that  of 
the  Fulbe  or  Fellata,  who,  following  their  instinctive  principle 
of  perpetually  extending  their  dominion  and  sway,  made  an  in- 
road also  into  Bagirmi  about  thirty  years  ago ;  but  they  were 
driven  back,  and  revenge  was  taken  by  a  successful  expedition 
being  made  by  the  Bagirmaye  against  Bogo,  one  of  the  principal 
Fulbe  settlements  to  the  east  of  Wandala  or  Mandara,  which  I 
have  mentioned  on  my  journey  to  A^damawa  and  the  expedition 
to  Musgu.  In  the  mean  time,  while  the  country  suffered  se- 
verely from  this  uninterrupted  course  of  external  and  internal 
warfare,  'Othman  seems  to  have  made  an  attempt  to  enter  into 
communication  with  Kanem,  probably  in  order  to  open  a  road  to 
the  coast  by  the  assistance  of  the  Welad  Sliman,  or,  as  they  are 
called  here,  Minne-minne,  who,  by  a  sudden  change  of  circum- 
stances, had  been  obliged  to  seek  refuge  in  those  border  districts 
of  Negroland  with  which  their  chief,  'Abd  el  Jelil,  had  become 
acquainted  in  the  course  of  his  former  slave-hunting  expeditions. 

Altogether,  'Othman  Bugoman  appears  to  have  been  a  vio- 
lent despot,  who  did  not  scruple  to  plunder  either  strangers  or 
his  own  people ;  and  he  cared  so  little  about  any  laws,  human 


'ABD  EL  KA'DER. 


555 


or  divine,  that  it  is  credibly  asserted  that  he  married  his  own 
daughter.*  But  he  appears  to  have  been  an  energetic  man,  and 
at  times  even  generous  and  liberal.  He  died  in  the  last  month 
of  the  year  1260,  or  about  the  end  of  the  year  1844  of  our  era, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  eldest  son  'Abd  el  Kader,  the  pres- 
ent ruler  of  Bagirmi,  who  had  been  on  bad  terms  with  his  father 
during  his  lifetime,  and,  in  consequence,  had  spent  several  years 
in  Gurin,  at  that  time  the  capital  of  ii^damawa. 

This  prince  had  a  narrow  escape  from  a  great  danger  in  the 
iHrst  month  of  his  reign,  when  Mohammed  Saleh,  the  ruler  of 
♦Yaday,  advanced  with  his  army  toward  the  west,  so  that  'Abd 
el  Kader  thought  it  best  to  leave  his  capital,  carrying  with  him 
all  his  people  and  riches,  and  to  withdraw  toward  Manklifa, 
where  he  is  said  to  have  prepared  for  battle,  taking  up  his  posi- 
tion behind  the  river,  and  placing  all  the  boats  on  his  wings. 
But  the  Sultan  of  Waday,  seeing  that  he  occupied  a  strong  po- 
sition, sent  him  word  that  he  would  do  him  no  harm  as  long  as 
he  preserved  the  allegiance  confirmed  by  the  oath  of  his  father ; 
and  he  really  does  not  seem  to  have  done  any  damage  to  the 
people  of  Bagirmi,  with  the  exception  of  depriving  them  of  their 
dress,  the  common  black  shirt,  of  which  the  people  of  Waday 
are  very  jealous,  as  they  themselves  are  not  acquainted  with  the 
art  of  dyeing. 

This  danger  having  passed  by,  'Abd  el  Kader,  who  is  de- 
scribed to  me,  by  all  those  who  have  had  opportunities  of  closer 
intercourse  with  him,  as  being  a  person  of  sound  judgment,  and 
who  likes  to  do  justice,  though  it  may  be  true  he  is  not  very  lib- 
eral, thought  it  best  to  keep  on  good  terms  also  with  his  west- 
ern neighbors,  the  Kanuri ;  and  his  friendly  relations  with  the 
present  ruler  of  that  country  were  facilitated  by  the  circum- 
stance that  his  mother  was  an  aunt  of  the  Sheikh  'Omar.  The 
Bagirmi  people,  at  least,  assert  that  it  is  more  on  account  of 
this  relationship  than  from  fear,  or  a  feeling  of  weakness,  that 
their  ruler  has  consented  to  a  sort  of  tribute  to  be  paid  to  Bor- 
nu,  which  consists  of  a  hundred  slaves  annually. 

*  According  to  others,  he  married  also  his  sister.  It  seems  that  some  attrib- 
ute similar  crimes  to  his  father. 


556 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Having  thus  obtained  peace  with  both  his  neighbors,  'Abd  el 
Kader  lias  employed  his  reign  in  strengthening  himself  on  that 
side  which  alone  remained  open  to  him,  viz.,  the  south  side,  to- 
ward the  pagan  countries  ;  and  he  has  successfully  extended  his 
dominion,  remaining  in  the  held  personally  for  several  months 
every  year.  He  has  thus  subdued  a  great  many  pagan  chiefs, 
on  whom  he  levies  a  fixed  tribute — a  thing  said  to  have  been 
unknown  before  his  time.  Of  course,  this  tribute  consists  al- 
most entirely  in  slaves,  which  the  pagan  chiefs  in  general  can 
only  procure  by  waging  war  with  their  neighbors,  and  slaves 
are,  therefore,  almost  the  only  riches  of  the  sultan  ;  but  by  this 
means  he  is  able  to  procure  what  he  is  most  in  need  of,  namely, 
horses  and  muskets,  besides  articles  of  luxury. 

It  is  only  with  a  strong  feeling  of  suppressed  indignation  that 
the  people  of  Bagirmi  bear  the  sort  of  dependence  in  which  they 
are  placed  with  regard  to  their  neighbors  on  either  side ;  and 
there  is  no  doubt  that,  if  they  were  allowed  to  recruit  their 
strength  (although  the  tribute  which  they  have  to  pay  to  Wa- 
day  bears  heavily  upon  them),  they  will  make  use  of  the  first 
opportunity  that  offers  to  throw  off  the  yoke. 

No  doubt  the  central  position  of  Bagirmi,  as  regards  political 
independence,  is  not  very  favorable  ;  but  the  country  has  the 
great  advantage  of  being  bordered  on  the  west  side  by  a  mighty 
river,  which,  while  it  forms  a  natural  barrier  against  the  western 
neighbor,  may  serve  at  the  same  time  as  a  safe  retreat  in  case 
of  an  attack  from  the  powerful  kingdom  on  the  east  side ;  and 
it  has  proved  so  repeatedly,  for  Bagirmi  in  many  places  ex- 
tends westward  beyond  that  river.  This  is  the  only  advantage 
which  the  country  at  present  derives  from  the  great  bounty 
which  nature  has  bestowed  upon  it,*  viz.,  a  river  navigable  dur- 
ing every  season  of  the  year,  surrounding  half  the  extent  of  the 
country,  and  sending  through  the  middle  of  it  a  branch,  the  Ba- 
chikam,  which  is  navigable  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year, 
and  might  easily  be  made  so  all  the  year  round.  This  branch, 
which  approaches  to  w^ithin  nine  or  ten  miles  of  the  capital, 

*  I  must  observe,  however,  that  boats  of  the  Kaleama,  or  islanders  of  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  Tsad,  sometimes  carry  corn  as  far  as  Biigoman. 


GENERAL  CHARACTER  OF  BAGI'RMI. 


557 


forms  part  of  the  southern  provinces  into  an  island.  The  great 
disadvantage  of  Bagirmi  is  that  there  is  no  direct  caravan  road 
to  the  northern  coast,  and  that  it  is  therefore  dependent  for  its 
supply  of  European  and  Arab  manufactures  upon  the  limited 
importation  by  the  circuitous  road  through  Waday  or  Bornu ; 
consequently,  the  price  of  merchandise  is  greatly  enhanced, 
while  the  road,  in  case  of  hostilities  with  these  latter  kingdoms, 
is  entirely  interrupted. 

If  we  now  take  a  general  view  of  the  country,  we  find  that 
in  its  present  state  it  is  inclosed  within  very  narrow  limits,  ex- 
tending in  its  greatest  length,  from  north  to  south,  to  about  240 
miles,  while  its  breadth  at  the  widest  part  scarcely  exceeds  150 
miles.  Such  a  petty  kingdom  would  be  quite  incapable  of  hold- 
ing out  against  its  two  powerful  neighbors  if  it  were  not  for  the 
resources  drawn  continually  from  the  pagan  countries  toward 
the  south. 

This  was  the  reason  why  the  kingdom  of  the  Bulala,  or  Leo's 
Gaoga,  rose  to  such  immense  power  as  soon  as  it  had  taken 
possession  of  Kanem.  The  people  of  Bagirmi  themselves  in 
former  times,  evidently  after  the  zenith  of  the  Bornu  kingdom 
had  passed  away,  and  when  the  weak  dominion  of  devout  but 
indolent  kings  succeeded  to  the  dashing  career  of  energetic  and 
enterprising  princes,  provided  themselves  with  what  they  want- 
ed in  this  respect  in  a  rather  unceremonious  manner,  by  making 
constant  predatory  expeditions  upon  the  caravan  road  from  Fez- 
zan  to  Bornu,  and  carrying  away  a  great  amount  of  property, 
even  a  large  supply  of  silver,  this  being  said  to  have  been  the 
source  from  whence  the  treasure  which  'Abd  el  Kerim  Sabun, 
king  of  Waday,  found  in  Mas-ena  was  derived.  In  another  di- 
rection they  formerly  extended  their  excursions  into  the  Batta 
and  IVIarghi  country. 

The  whole  country,  as  far  as  it  constitutes  Bagirmi  proper, 
forms  a  flat  level,  with  a  very  slight  inclination  toward  the  north, 
the  general  elevation  of  the  country  being  about  950  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea ;  only  in  the  northernmost  part  of  the  coun- 
try, north  from  a  line  drawn  through  Moito,  there  are  detached 
hills  or  mountains,  which  constitute  the  water-parting  between 


558 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


the  Fittn  and  the  Tsad,  the  two  basins  having  no  connection 
whatever  with  each  other.  But  while  Bagirmi  proper  appears 
to  be  a  rather  flat  country,  the  outlying  provinces  to  the  south- 
east seem  to  be  rather  mountainous,  the  mountains,  particularly 
the  group  called  Gere,  being  so  high  that  the  cold  is  felt  very 
severely,  and  hail  or  snow  falls  occasionally  during  the  cold 
months.  From  the  information  of  the  natives,  particularly  when 
we  take  into  consideration  the  description  given  of  Belel  Kole, 
it  would  seem  that  in  that  direction  there  are  some  volcanic 
mountains.  Toward  the  south,  also,  there  must  be  considerable 
mountains  which  give  rise  to  the  three  rivers  the  Benuwe,  the 
Shari,  and  the  River  of  Logon,  and  probably  several  more  ;  but 
they  must  be  at  a  great  distance,  and  lie  entirely  beyond  the 
range  of  my  information.  However,  I  am  sure  that  there  is  no 
idea  of  perpetual  snow,  or  even  snow  remaining  for  any  length 
of  time,  in  this  part  of  the  continent ;  and  there  seems  to  be  no 
necessity  whatever  for  supposing  such  a  thing,  as  the  fall  of  rain 
near  the  equator  is  fully  sufficient  to  feed  numbers  of  perennial 
sources,  and  to  increase  the  volume  of  the  rivers  to  such  an  ex- 
tent as  to  annually  overflow  the  country  in  so  astonishing  a 
manner.  The  time  of  the  inundation  of  those  three  rivers  seems 
to  coincide  exactly,  while  with  regard  to  the  currents,  that  of 
the  Biver  of  Logon  appears  to  be  the  most  rapid. 

The  soil  consists  partly  of  lime  ("aiie*')  and  partly  of  sand 
("  smaka"),  and  accordingly  produces  either  Negro  millet  {Pen- 
nisetitm,  "chengo")  or  sorghum  ("wa"),  which  two  species  of 
grain,  with  their  difl'erent  varieties,  form  the  chief  article  of  food 
not  only  of  the  people  of  Bagirmi,  but  almost  all  over  Negro- 
land.  But  besides  this  a  great  deal  of  sesamum  ("karru*')  is 
cultivated,  which  branch  of  cultivation  imparts  quite  a  different 
aspect  to  this  country,  as  well  as  to  many  of  the  pagan  coun- 
tries, as  numerous  tribes  seem  to  subsist  chiefly  upon  this  ar- 
ticle. In  many  other  districts  of  Bagirmi  beans  ("mongo") 
form  one  of  the  chief  articles  of  food,  but  ground-nuts,  or  "buli," 
seem  to  be  cultivated  only  to  a  very  small  extent. 

Wheat  is  not  cultivated  at  all,  with  the  exception  of  a  small 
patch  in  the  interior  of  the  capital,  for  the  private  use  of  the  sul- 


VEGETABLE  PRODUCTS 


559 


tan.  Rice  is  not  cultivated,  but  collected,  in  great  quantities 
after  the  rains,  in  the  forest,  where  it  grows  in  the  swamps  and 
temporary  ponds  ;  indeed,  a  good  dish  of  rice,  with  plenty  of 
butter  and  meat,  forms  one  of  the  few  culinary  luxuries  whicli 
I  have  observed  in  Bagirmi.  Another  article  of  food  in  very 
general  use  is  afforded  by  several  varieties  of  grass  or  Poa^  iden- 
tical, I  think,  with  the  Poa  Abyssiiiica^  here  called  "  chenna'* 
by  the  black,  and  "  kreb"  by  the  red  natives  (I  mean  the  Shu- 
wa).  The  variety  most  common  in  Bagirmi  is  called  "jojo,'" 
and  is  not  only  eaten  by  the  poor  people,  but  even  by  the  rich ; 
indeed,  I  myself  am  fully  able  to  speak  from  experience  concern- 
ing it,  as,  with  the  addition  of  a  little  rice,  I  subsisted  on  it  al- 
most entirely  during  my  long  stay  in  this  country,  and  found  it 
very  palatable  when  prepared  with  plenty  of  butter,  or  even 
boiled  in  milk.  Of  course,  it  is  a  light  food,  and,  while  it  does 
not  cause  indigestion,  it  does  not  satisfy  the  appetite  for  a  long- 
time, or  impart  much  superfluous  strength.  As  regards  veg- 
etables, molukhiya  ("  gonermo,"  Corchoi^iis  olitorms)  and  de- 
raba  or  bamiya  ("gobalto"  and  "  geddegir'")  are  mostly  in  use. 
besides  the  "  gongo,"  the  leaves  of  the  monkey-bread-tree 
("kuka"),  and  occasionally  that  of  the  hajilij  (''janga"),  whicli 
form  the  common  palaver  sauce  of  the  poor.  Watermelons 
("  gerlaka  ?")  also  are  grown  to  some  extent,  and  that  sort  of 
Cucurhita  called  melopejpo  kurchi  ?'"),  which  I  have  mention- 
ed on  a  former  occasion.    Inside  the  capital  a  great  many  onions 

bassal")  are  cultivated,  but  not  so  much  for  the  use  of  the 
natives  as  of  the  strangers  who  visit  the  place. 

Of  articles  of  industry,  cotton  ("  nyere")  and  indigo  (alini") 
are  grown  to  a  sufficient  extent  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  na- 
tives ;  but  both  articles  are  chiefly  cultivated  by  the  Bornu  peo- 
ple who  have  immigrated  into  this  country. 

The  soil  in  general  seems  to  be  of  a  good  quality ;  but,  as  1 
have  said  above,  the  country  suffers  greatly  from  drought,  and 
ants  and  worms  contribute  in  a  large  measure  to  frustrate  the 
exertions  of  the  husbandman.  Of  the  trees  most  common  in 
the  country,  and  most  useful  to  mankind,  I  have  principally  to 
mention  the  tamarind-tree,  or     'ardeb,"  called  "  mas"  by  the 


560 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


people  of  Baginni — a  tree  as  useful  for  its  fruit  as  it  is  beauti- 
ful on  account  of  its  foliage.  The  tamarind-fruit,  in  my  opin- 
ion, constitutes  the  best  and  surest  remedy  for  a  variety  of  dis- 
eases, on  account  of  its  refreshing  and  cooling  character.  Next 
in  order  is  the  deleb-palm,  here  called  ''kawe,"  which  is  very 
common  in  several  parts  of  the  country,  although  far  more  so  in 
the  outlying  provinces  toward  the  south  ;  the  diim-palm  ("  ko- 
longo*'),  which,  although  not  so  frequent,  is  nevertheless  found 
in  considerable  numbers  in  many  parts  of  the  country ;  the  ha- 
jilij,  or  Balanites  ^gyptiaca  ("janga"),  of  which  not  only  the 
fruit  is  eaten,  but  the  leaves  also  are  used  as  vegetables,  like 
those  of  the  monkey-bread-tree — the  latter  does  not  seem  to  be 
very  frequent ;  the  korna  or  Cornus  ("  kirna"),  and  the  syca- 
more ("  bili").  Many  trees  very  common  in  Hausa,  such  as 
the  kadena,  or  Bassia  Parkii^  and  the  dorowa  {Parkia),  are 
never  seen  here,  at  least  not  in  those  districts  which  I  visited ; 
but  Croton  tiglium  ("  habb  el  meluk")  is  frequent,  and  I  my- 
self took  a  supply  of  this  powerful  purgative  with  me  on  my  re- 
turn from  this  country. 

There  are  no  mines.  Even  the  iron  is  brought  from,  the  ex- 
terior provinces,  especially  a  place  called  Gurgara,  distant  from 
twenty  to  twenty-five  miles  from  the  river,  where  the  sandstone 
seems  to  contain  a  great  deal  of  iron  ore.  Natron  is  brought 
from  the  Bahr  el  Ghazal. 

With  regard  to  the  special  features  of  the  country,  and  the 
topography  of  the  towns  and  villages,  they  will  be  described  in  a 
separate  chaj)ter  ;*  here  I  will  only  say  that  the  entire  popula- 
tion of  the  country  seems  scarcely  to  exceed  a  million  and  a 
half,  and  the  whole  military  force,  in  the  present  reduced  state 
of  the  kingdom,  can  hardly  be  more  than  3000  horse  and  10,000 
foot,  including  the  Shuwa  population,  who  surpass  the  black 
natives  in  breeding  horses,  while  the  cavalry  of  Waday  may  be 
most  correctly  estimated  at  from  5000  to  6000,  and  that  of 
Dar-Fur  at  more  than  10,000.  The  weapon  most  in  use  among 
them  is  the  spear  ("nyiga"),  the  bow  ("  ka-kese")  and  arrow 

kese")  being  rare,  not  only  with  the  inhabitants  of  Bagirmi 
*  See  Appendix  YITI. 


ARMS.— LANGUAGE.— DRESS. 


561 


proper,  but  even  with  those  of  the  pagan  states  to  the  south. 
Scarcely  a  single  person  has  a  shield,  and  they  therefore  use  only 
the  Kanuri  name  for  this  arm,  viz.,  "  ngawa."  Very  few  possess 
the  more  valuable  coat  of  mail,  or  "sullug,"  and  I  scarcely  ob- 
served a  single  fire-arm  during  my  stay.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  almost  all  the  pagan  inhabitants  of  these  regions  are  arm- 
ed with  that  sort  of  weapon  found  in  so  many  other  countries 
which  we  have  touched  on  our  journey,  viz.,  the  hand-bill,  or, 
as  the  Kanuri  call  it,  the  goliyo"  (here  called  "  njiga,"  the  dif- 
ference between  the  name  of  this  weapon  and  that  of  the  spear 
consisting  in  one  single  letter).  Very  few  of  the  Bagi'rmi  peo- 
ple are  wealthy  enough  to  purchase  swords  ("kaskara"),  which 
they  are  not  able  to  manufacture  themselves ;  and  few  even 
wear  that  sort  of  dagger  ("  kiya")  on  the  left  arm,  which,  in  im- 
itation of  the  Tavrarek,  has  been  introduced  into  a  great  part 
of  Negroland. 

As  for  their  physical  features,  I  have  already  touched  on  this 
subject  repeatedly.  I  will  only  say  that  they  are  a  fine  race 
of  people,  distinct  from  the  Kanuri,  but  intimately  related,  as 
their  language  shows,  to  the  tribe  of  the  Kuka  and  several  oth- 
er tribes  to  the  east.  Their  language  they  themselves  call 
"  tar  Bagrimma."  Their  adoption  of  Islam  is  very  recent,  and 
the  greater  part  of  them  may,  even  at  the  present  day,  with 
more  justice  be  called  Pagans  than  Mohammedans.  They  pos- 
sess very  little  learning,  only  a  few  natives,  who  have  perform- 
ed the  pilgrimage,  being  well  versed  in  Arabic,  such  as  Bu- 
Bakr  Sadik ;  but  not  a  single  individual  possesses  any  learn- 
ing of  a  wider  range.  This  exists  only  among  the  Fellata,  or 
foreigners  from  Waday.  The  only  industrial  arts  in  which 
they  have  made  a  little  progress  are  those  of  dyeing  and  weav- 
ing, both  of  which  they  have  also  introduced  into  the  kingdom 
of  Waday,  although  in  their  own  country  a  great  deal  of  the 
weaving  and  dyeing  is  carried  on  by  Kanuri  people.  Black 
tobes  are  worn  by  the  men  to  a  much  greater  extent  than  in 
Bornu,  even  the  bolne  or  turkedi,  which  generally  forms  the 
only  dress  of  the  females,  as  well  as  the  upper  garment  or  "  deb- 
dalena,"  being  dyed  black.    Tight  shirts,  or  tarkiji,  which  in 

Vol.  IL— N  n 


562 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Waday  constitute  the  common  female  dress,  are  very  rarely 
worn. 

The  government  of  the  country  is  an  absolute  monarchy,  be- 
ing not  tempered,  as  it  seems,  by  an  aristocratical  element,  such 
as  we  have  found  in  Bornu,  nor  even  by  such  an  assembly  as 
we  have  met  with  in  the  Hausa  states.  The  duties  of  the  chief 
offices  of  state  are,  it  appears,  by  no  means  distinctly  defined, 
and  are  therefore  left  to  the  discretion  or  abuse  of  each  official, 
as  we  have  seen  that  the  facha  under  the  reign  of  'Othman  had 
assumed  such  a  degree  of  power  that  he  was  capable  of  waging 
successful  war  for  a  long  time  against  the  king  himself. 

The  title  of  the  king  is  "  banga."  The  office  of  the  "  facha" 
corresponds  exactly  with  that  of  the  "  keghamma"  in  Bornu. 
Then  follows  the  office  of  the  "ngarmane,"  or  the  minister  of 
the  royal  household ;  then  that  of  the  "  gheletma,"  a  name 
which  has  originated  in  a  corruption  of  the  title  "  ghaladima." 
Next  comes  the  gar-moyenmange,"  the  governor  of  the  open 
pasture-grounds  and  forests;  after  him  the  " milma,"  whose 
office  is  said  to  have  been  introduced  from  Bornu,  to  whom  suc- 
ceed the  "gar-ngode,"  the  "  gar-nginge,"  the  "  zerma,"  and  the 
"kadamange,"  the  latter  having  originally  the  tutorship  of  the 
sons  of  the  king.  But  besides  these,  the  captains  or  "  barma," 
and  the  governors  of  the  principal  places,  possess  considerable 
power ;  and  among  the  latter,  especially  the  elifa  Moito,  or  gov- 
ernor of  Moito,  while  the  officer  of  the  water  also,  or  elifa  ba, 
exercises  a  great  deal  of  authority.  Of  these  courtiers  the  fol- 
lowing have  the  privilege  of  using  a  carpet  to  sit  upon :  the  fa- 
cha, the  barma,  the  gheletma,  the  milma,  the  gar-moyenmange, 
the  bang  Buso,  bang  Dam,  elifa  Moito,  and  elifa  ba.  AVe  have 
seen  that  the  sultan,  during  his  absence  from  the  capital,  had 
made  one  of  the  meanest  of  his  courtiers,  the  kadamange,  his 
lieutenant  governor. 

The  mother  of  the  sultan,  or  the  "kuii-banga,"  is  greatly  re- 
spected, but  without  possessing  such  paramount  autliority  as 
we  have  seen  to  have  been  the  case  with  the  "magira"  in  Bor- 
nu, and  as  we  shall  find  exercised  by  the  moma  in  Waday. 
The  claimant  to  the  throne,  who  bears  here  the  same  title  as  in 


GOVERNMENT.— TRIBUTE. 


563 


Bornu,  viz.,  chiroma,  enjoys  a  certain  degree  of  influence,  the 
limits  of  which  are  not  circumscribed,  but  depend  upon  his  nat- 
ural qualifications. 

Although  the  sultan  here  has  so  different  a  title  from  that  of 
the  King  of  Bornu,  nevertheless  the  princesses  bear  the  same 
title  as  those  of  Bornu,  viz.,  "meram,"  a  name  which  has  even 
extended  into  the  country  of  Waday. 

As  for  the  tribute  which  the  king  levies,  and  which  is  called 
"haden-banga,"  the  circumstances  connected  with  my  stay  in 
the  country  did  not  allow  me  to  arrive  at  a  definite  conclusion 
with  regard  to  its  amount,  and  I  can  only  make  a  few  general 
remarks  upon  it.  The  tribute  levied  upon  the  Mohammedan  in- 
habitants of  Bagirmi  proper  consists  principally  in  two  different 
kinds,  viz.,  in  corn  and  cotton-strips.  The  tribute  in  corn, 
which  corresponds  to  the  tsidiram  maibe  in  Bornu  and  the  kiir- 
di-n-kassa  in  Hausa,  is  here  called  the  motten-banga,  or,  as  it 
is  generally  pronounced,  motten-banki,  while  the  tribute  in  cot- 
ton-strips bears  the  name  "  farda-n-banga."  But  many  places 
have  to  deliver  also  a  tribute  in  butter,  although  the  Shuvra, 
or,  as  they  are  here  called,  Slnwa  (the  native  Arabs),  are  tlie 
principal  purveyors  of  this  article  to  the  court. 

The  Shiwa  of  Bagirmi  belong  principally  to  the  following 
tribes:  Salamat,  Beni  Hassan,  Welad  Musa  (a  very  warlike 
tribe),  Welad  'All,  the  Deghaghera,  who  live  scattered  over  the 
whole  country,  but  occupy  some  villages  almost  exclusively  for 
themselves.  The  principal  tribute  which  these  Arabs  have  to 
pay  consists  of  cattle,  and  is  called  "jengal;"  it  is  very  con- 
siderable. But  w^hether  these  Arabs  of  Bagirmi,  like  those  set- 
tled in  Bornu,  have  also  to  deliver  to  the  king  all  the  male 
horses,  I  am  not  quite  sure ;  however,  I  think  that  is  the  case. 

The  most  considerable  tribute,  however,  which  the  sultan 
levies  consists  of  slaves,  which  the  tributary  pagan  provinces 
have  to  pay  to  him,  especially  the  chiefs  of  Miltu,  Dam,  Som- 
ray,  and  all  the  others  of  whose  territories  and  power  we  obtain 
some  information  from  the  itineraries  I  have  collected.*  This 
tribute  of  slaves  constitutes  the  strength  and  riches  of  the  King 
*  See  Appendix  X, 


564 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


of  Bagirmi,  who  is  always  endeavoring  to  extend  Lis  sway  over 
the  neighboring  pagan  tribes. 

The  natives  of  Bagirmi  are  compelled  to  show  to  their  sov- 
ereiG,'n  a  considerable  degree  of  servile  reverence ;  and  when 
they  approach  him,  they  are  obliged  not  only  to  be  bare-headed, 
but  also  to  draw  their  shirt  from  the  left  shoulder,  and  to  sprin- 
kle dust  on  their  heads.  But  they  are  not  in  general  oppress- 
ed, and  a  far  greater  liberty  of  speech  is  allowed  than  in  many 
European  states. 


CHAPTER  LII. 

HOME  JOURNEY  TO  KUKAWA. — DEATH  OF  MR.  OVERWEG. 

A^igust  10th,  Although  I  had  once  cherished  the  idea  of 
penetrating  toward  the  upper  course  of  the  Nile,  I  was  glad 
when  I  turned  my  face  westward,  as  I  had  since  convinced  my- 
self that  such  an  enterprise  was  not  possible  under  the  present 
circumstances.  I  had  been  so  many  times  deceived  by  the 
promise  of  my  final  departure,  that  when  in  the  morning  of  that 
day  a  messenger  from  the  zerma  arrived  Avitli  the  news  that  I 
might  get  ready  my  luggage,  I  did  not  believe  him,  and  would 
not  stir  till  Zerma  himself  made  his  appearance  and  confirmed 
the  news,  assuring  me  that  I  should  find  the  letter  of  the  sul- 
tan, Avith  regard  to  my  security  on  a  future  visit,  with  Maina 
Sabun. 

In  consequence,  I  ordered  my  servants  to  get  my  luggage 
ready  ;  but  before  I  started  I  received  a  visit  from  a  large  num- 
ber of  courtiers,  with  an  agid  at  their  head,  in  order  to  bid  me 
farewell,  and  also  to  entreat  me  for  the  last  time  to  sell  to  the 
sultan  my  fine  "  keri-sassarandi"  (horse).  But  this  I  was 
obliged  to  refuse,  stating  that  I  wanted  the  horse  for  myself, 
and  that  I  had  not  come  to  their  country  as  a  merchant,  but  as 
a  messenger.  It  had  always  been  a  subject  of  great  annoyance 
to  them  that  I  refused  to  sell  my  horse,  as  all  the  people  who 
visit  this  country  from  the  other  side  of  Bornu  are  in  the  habit 


PLEASANT  STARTING. 


565 


of  bringing  horses  with  them  expressly  for  sale.  They  re- 
venged themselves,  therefore,  by  giving  me  another  nickname, 
as  an  ambitious  and  overbearing  man — "  derbaki  ngolo."  But 
I  would  not  have  parted  with  the  companion  of  my  toils  and 
dangers  for  all  the  treasures  in  the  world,  although  it  had  its 
faults,  and  was  certainly  not  then  in  the  best  condition.  I  had 
some  foreboding  that  it  might  still  be  a  useful  companion  on 
many  an  excursion ;  •  and  it  was,  in  reality,  still  to  carry  me  for 
two  years,  and  was  to  excite  the  envy  both  of  my  friends  and 
enemies  in  Timbuktu  as  it  had  done  here. 

Having  received  the  letter  of  the  sultan,  with  the  contents  of 
which  I  could  not  but  express  myself  highly  satisfied,*  I  set 
fairly  out  on  my  journey ;  and  my  heart  bounded  with  delight 
when,  gaining  the  western  gate,  I  entered  the  open  country,  and 
once  more  found  myself  at  liberty. 

The  whole  country  was  adorned  with  the  most  beautiful  ver- 
dure, the  richest  pasture-grounds  and  fine  corn-fields  alternate- 
ly succeeding  each  other ;  but  as  for  the  crop,  the  height  which 
it  had  attained  in  the  different  fields  varied  greatly,  it  being  in 
one  field  as  high  as  five  feet,  and  the  seed  just  coming  out, 
while  in  another  field  close  by  the  young  crop  was  only  shoot- 
ing out  of  the  ground.  This  was  in  consequence  of  no  rain 
having  fallen  in  the  beginning  of  the  season  for  nearly  a  month, 
a  circumstance  which  had  deterred  many  people  from  confiding 
their  seed  to  the  ground.  Farther  on  there  was  much  cultiva- 
tion of  beans. 

Having  now  no  necessity  for  laying  down  the  path,  wijli  which 
I  was  sufficiently  acquainted,  I  could  surrender  myself  entirely 
to  the  general  impression  of  the  landscape,  the  whole  aspect  of 
the  country  being  greatly  changed.  Beyond  the  Fellata  vil- 
lage which  I  have  mentioned  on  my  outward  journey  we  had 
to  cross  an  extensive  sheet  of  water,  and  the  ground  was  often 
very  difficult  to  pass  with  my  camel,  so  that  we  were  full  of 
anxiety  with  regard  to  the  swampy  country  of  Logon.  Indeed, 
the  people  who  met  us  on  the  road  did  not  fail  to  warn  us  that 
this  was  not  the  right  animal  for  this  season  of  the  year ;  and 
*  I  sent  this  letter,  with  the  sultan's  seal,  to  the  Foreign  Office  at  the  time. 


566 


TRAVELS  IN  APRICA. 


there  is  no  doubt  that  pack-oxen,  on  account  of  then-  sure-foot- 
edness,  have  a  great  advantage  in  travehng  during  this  part  of 
the  year,  though  they  are  difficult  to  get  across  the  rivers. 

We  arrived  at  the  well-known  village  of  Bakada  just  in  time 
to  escape  a  heavy  tempest,  which  continued  with  slight  interrup- 
tion the  whole  of  the  afternoon  ;  but,  not  finding  my  former  host 
at  home,  I  took  possession  of  his  hut  on  my  own  responsibility, 
and  I  afterward  calmed  the  anger  of  my  good  old  friend,  whose 
hospitality  was  so  often  claimed  by  all  the  passers-by  on  this 
great  high  road,  by  presenting  him  with  two  fine  white  shirts. 
In  fact,  I  sympathized  with  him  very  heartily,  seeing  that  the 
vrhole  host  of  people  who  had  attached  themselves  to  my  troop 
importuned  him  for  shelter  during  our  stay  here  the  following 
day,  although  I  might  have  expected  that  he  would  have  ex- 
tended his  hospitality  to  myself  for  a  day  longer,  as  we  were  to 
part  forever,  and  as  it  was  against  my  wish  that  I  was  delayed 
here.  But  such  is  the  character  of  the  Bagirmi  people  in  their 
present  reduced  political  and  moral  condition. 

My  companions  were  not  yet  quite  ready.  It  rained  the 
greater  part  of  the  following  night.  I  had  some  trouble  in 
making  my  people  stir  in  the  morning,  and  was  really  obliged 
to  employ  force  in  order  to  get  our  troop  once  more  in  motion. 
A  European  can  form  no  idea  how  the  energy  of  a  traveler  is 
paralyzed  in  these  regions  by  the  laziness  of  the  natives. 

At  length  we  were  on  our  road,  and  after  a  moderate  march 
took  up  our  quarters  in  Kolle-kolle.  The  quantity  of  rain 
which  had  fallen  gave  the  country  a  very  rich  and  exuberant 
appearance.  Every  where  on  the  fields  the  long  black  worm 
called  "  halwesi,"  which  causes  so  much  damage  to  the  crops, 
was  seen  in  extraordinary  numbers.  It  was  scarcely  possible 
to  recognize  the  villages,  the  whole  appearance  of  which,  from 
every  side,  we  had  been  well  acquainted  with  during  the  dry 
season,  the  tall  crops  now  concealing  the  cottages  entirely  from 
view.  The  following  day  we  reached  Kokoroche,  having  fortu- 
nately crossed  a  very  difficult  bog  without  accident.  The 
whole  forest  region,  which  did  not  contain  a  drop  of  water  on 
my  out-journey,  was  now  converted  into  a  continuous  line  of 


A'SU  AND  THE  SHA'RI'. 


567 


swamps,  and  the  whole  surface  was  thickly  covered  with  ver- 
dure. It  is  during  this  season  that  the  Shuwa  Arabs  form  here 
their  temporary  encampments. 

In  Kokoroche  also  we  had  another  day's  delay,  till  the  mes- 
senger of  the  sultan  arrived,  who  was  to  protect  me  against  any 
further  intrigues  of  the  ferrymen,  whom  I  regarded  with  more 
suspicion  than  any  policeman  or  constable  in  Europe.  Mean- 
while, also,  the  wife  of  Grema  'Abdu,  who  all  this  time  had 
been  staying  with  her  father-in-law  in  Mustafaji,  joined  us,  and 
all  further  delay  seemed  to  be  at  an  end.  Certainly  such  a  vis- 
it of  a  married  woman  to  her  father's  house  can  not  but  contrib- 
ute to  give  Europeans  a  higher  opinion  of  African  domestic  life. 
Indeed,  people  in  Europe  have  little  conception  how  cheerfully 
man  and  wife  in  these  regions  live  together;  and  it  was  this 
amiable  feature  in  his  character  Avhich  reconciled  me  in  some 
degree  to  my  companion,  whom  in  other  respects  I  greatly  dis- 
liked. 

August  15t/i.  There  had  been  a  great  deal  of  rain  in  the  aft- 
ernoon of  the  preceding  day ;  and  a  heavy  shower,  which  came 
on  in  the  morning,  and  lasted  full  two  hours,  delayed  our  de- 
parture considerably.  The  distance  which  separated  us  from 
the  river  was  not  great ;  but  the  latter  part  of  the  journey  was 
so  bad  that  my  camel  threw  off  its  load  no  less  than  six  times, 
so  that  my  servants  were  almost  in  despair,  and  did  not  join 
me  till  several  hours  after  my  arrival  in  the  town  of  A'su,  and 
when  I  had  made  myself  already  comfortable  in  an  excellent 
hut,  built  of  clay,  neatly  polished,  but  from  which  I  felt  sorry 
to  have  driven  away  two  spinsters  who  had  been  its  tenants. 

Having  rested  a  while,  I  went  to  obtain  a  sight  of  the  river. 
Its  magnitude  had  already  surprised  me  when  I  first  saw  it  on 
coming  from  Logon,  and  it  had  delighted  me  as  often  as  I  look- 
ed down  upon  it  from  the  village  of  ]\Iele ;  but  it  was  now 
greatly  increased  in  size,  forming  a  broad  sheet  of  water  not  less 
than  one  thousand  yards  across,  and  dotted  with  several  little 
islands,  while  the  high  and  gradually-shelving  shore  on  this  side 
was  clothed  with  rich  crops  of  Egyptian  corn  or  masr  {Zea 
mais).    Several  small  canoes,  or  rather  boats,  were  lying  on  the 


568 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


shore,  but  I  looked  in  vain  foi*  one  large  enough  to  carry  my 
camel,  as  I  was  really  afraid  to  trust  it  to  the  stream.  How- 
ever, I  was  glad  to  observe  that  the  current  was  not  very  strong, 
and  it  did  not  seem  to  me  to  flow  faster  than  from  about  two 
and  a  half  to  three  English  miles  an  hour.  Unfortunately,  to- 
day also  the  weather  was  very  wet,  so  that  strolling  about  was 
not  so  pleasant  as  it  would  otherwise  have  been. 

A^su  was  formerly  a  walled  town,  but  the  walls  at  present 
exhibit  the  same  signs  of  decay  which  characterize  the  whole 
country.  However,  the  inhabitants,  to  whom  the  ferry  is  a  con- 
stant source  of  profit,  seemed  to  be  tolerably  at  their  ease.  It 
is  this  village  (which  formerly  appears  to  have  been  of  much 
greater  importance)  after  which  the  river  is  sometimes  called  the 
Eiver  of  A'su ;  but  it  never  ought  to  be  called  the  Eiver  A^su. 
Here,  also,  there  is  an  officer  or  inspector  of  the  ferry,  with  the 
title  of  kashella,*  the  same  as  in  the  village  of  Mele. 

Satiirday^  August  14^tlu  We  had  first  to  follow  the  bank  of 
the  stream  for  a  little  more  than  a  mile  lower  down,  in  order  to 
reach  the  flat,  sandy  beach  which  I  have  mentioned  above.  At 
length,  after  a  good  deal  of  delay,  the  boats  were  brought  and 
the  passage  began.  Our  horses  went  first,  three  or  four  swim- 
ming alongside  each  boat ;  but  it  was  a  difficult  aflair  for  the 
men  who  were  sitting  in  the  boats  to  manage  them,  and,  not- 
withstanding all  their  exertions,  and  all  the  cries  of  those  who 
were  standing  on  the  bank,  several  of  them  were  washed  away 
from  the  boats,  and  carried  a  considerable  distance  down  the 
river  by  the  current ;  one,  a  fine  black  horse,  was  drowned.  It 
was  the  very  latest  period  when  the  river  is  passable  for  horses, 
for  during  the  whole  of  the  month  of  September  the  people  as- 
sured me  that  the  passage  was  never  attempted.  I  myself  suc- 
ceeded in  crossing  the  river,  with  my  horse  and  luggage,  with- 
out any  accident ;  and  having  fired  a  shot  in  order  to  express 
my  satisfaction  at  having  safely  escaped  from  the  hands  of  the 
superstitious  Bagirmi  people,  I  pursued  my  march  without  de- 
lay, for  I  was  afraid  of  exposing  my  horse  to  the  pernicious 

*  Kashella  is  properly  a  Bornu  title,  but  it  is  in  general  use  in  these  places 
along  the  western  frontier. 


THE  SHU'WA  OF  MO'KORO'. 


569 


stings  of  tlie  ''tsetse"  fly,  which,  as  I  have  observed  before, 
proves  extremely  dangerous  to  the  animal,  but  which  fortu- 
nately infests  only  the  very  banks  of  the  river,  for  I  have  ob- 
served it  nowhere  else.    It  is  a  large  yellow  species. 

I  had  now  entered  again  upon  the  territory  of  my  friend  Yu- 
suf,  the  Prince  of  Logon,  and  could,  without  any  danger  of  mo- 
lestation, freely  move  about.  The  weather  was  very  wet,  and  I 
twice  took  refuge  in  small  villages,  which  were  situated  in  the 
midst  of  rich  corn-fields,  in  order  to  escape  a  heavy  shower. 
The  whole  district  is  called  Mokoro,  and  comprises,  besides  sev- 
eral villages  of  logode  Logon,  or  people  of  Logon,  ten  hamlets 
of  Shuwa,  in  one  of  which  we  took  up  our  quarters.  These 
Shuwa,  however,  are  not  distinguished  for  hospitality,  and  it  re- 
quired a  great  deal  of  negotiation  before  I  Avas  allowed  to  make 
myself  comfortable  in  one  of  these  huts,  which  are  very  spacious 
indeed  for  these  countries,  being  from  50  to  60  feet  in  diameter : 
they  have,  besides,  a  very  remarkable  peculiarity,  being  furnish- 
ed with  a  large  bed-room,  if  I  may  say  so,  which  occupies  the 
middle  of  the  hut,  and  consists  of  a  room  raised  about  three  feet 
from  the  ground,  twenty  feet  long  by  six  to  eight  feet  wide,  and 
the  same  in  height,  separated  into  several  compartments,  and  en- 
compassed all  round  with  mattings  of  lattice-work  made  of  fine 
reeds,  in  which  branch  of  industry,  as  I  have  before  observed, 
the  people  of  Logon  are  very  clever.  The  matting  is  of  dark 
color,  but  upon  my  inquiring  how  they  dyed  it,  I  was  not  a  lit- 
tle surprised  to  hear  that  it  was  done  by  dipping  it  into  the 
black  argillaceous  soil.  In  this  secluded  room,  which  is  called 
"ghurara,"  these  people  protect  themselves  against  the  innu- 
merable swarms  of  musquitoes  which  infest  these  low,  swampy 
regions  during  the  night. 

Of  course,  I  could  not  have  any  pretensions  to  this  distin- 
guished place,  which  is  reserved  for  the  different  members  of  the 
family,  and  I  took  my  station  upon  a  raised  platform  of  clay  at 
the  side  of  the  entrance,  where  I  was  a  little  annoyed  by  the 
musquitoes,  although,  the  door  having  been  shut  at  an  early 
hour,  and  some  cattle  inside  the  hut  attracting  the  attention  of 
this  cruel  insect  in  a  stronger  degree,  the  numbers  were  sup- 


570 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


portable.  In  other  respects  I  was  well  treated,  the  landlord 
being  a  wealthy  man  of  the  name  of  A^dim,  and  his  wife  be- 
ing even  a  princess  or  meram  of  Logon :  she  was  a  talkative 
and  cheerful  person.  They  regaled  me  with  a  small  pancake 
soon  after  my  arrival,  and  a  dish  of  rice  and  milk  in  the  even- 
ing. It  was  extremely  interesting  to  witness  the  singular  kind 
of  living  of  these  people,  and  to  hear  them  talk  their  pecul- 
iar style  of  Arabic,  which  has  not  yet  lost  that  profusion  of 
vowels  which  originally  characterized  this  language;  but  its 
purity  has  been  greatly  impaired  by  other  peculiarities.  They 
have  some  remarkable  customs  which  connect  them  with  their 
brethren  in  the  East,  especially  the  law  of  retaliation,  or  e'  dhi- 
ye,*  and  the  infihulatio  of  the  young  girls.  These  Arabs  be- 
long to  the  large  tribe  of  the  Salamat. 

Sunday^  August  Ibth,  After  a  march  of  about  eight  miles, 
through  a  country  partly  cultivated  with  Negro  millet,  partly 
forming  an  extensive  swampy  plain,  we  reached  the  Hiver  of 
Logon.  On  account  of  the  great  rising  of  the  river,  we  had  been 
obliged  to  follow,  this  time,  an  entirely  different  path  from  the 
one  we  had  pursued  on  our  outward  journey.  The  scenery  was 
greatly  changed ;  and  the  little  hollow  which  we  had  formerly 
crossed  close  behind  our  landing-place  had  now  become  a  navi- 
gable branch  of  the  river,  on  which  several  boats  of  considerable 
size  were  seen  plying  to  and  fro.  The  whole  river  now  present- 
ed a  very  extensive  sheet  of  water,  unbroken  by  any  sand-banks 
or  islands,  which,  while  it  certainly  was  exceeded  in  breadth  by 
the  Eiver  Shari,  surpassed  it  in  its  turn  in  swiftness,  the  cur- 
rent being  evidently  more  than  three  and  a  half  miles  an  hour. 

The  town  of  Logon,  with  its  palm-trees,  of  three  different  va- 
rieties, towering  over  the  clay  walls,  invited  me  to  its  hospitable 
quarters ;  and  as  I  was  extremely  anxious  to  reach  Kukawa 
without  any  further  delay,  I  immediately  crossed  over  (after 

*  With  regard  to  this  custom,  Burkhardt's  information  ( Travels  in  Nubia,  2d 
ed.,  Appendix  I,,  p.  434)  is  very  correct ;  but  in  general  his  information  respect- 
ing the  countries  on  the  east  side  of  the  Tsad  is  marred  with  mistakes,  not  only 
with  regard  to  the  geography,  but  even  the  ethnology  of  these  quarters,  as  he  al- 
ways confounds  native  and  Arab  tribes. 


BAD  RECEPTION.— ATADE  . 


571 


having  made  a  small  sketch,  which  is  represented  in  the  accom- 
panying plate),  in  order  that  I  might  be  able  to  pursue  my  jour- 
ney the  following  day  ;  but  upon  paying  a  visit  to  the  kegham- 
ma,  I  had  great  difficulty  in  persuading  him  to  allow  me  to  pro- 
ceed, and  at  first  he  peremptorily  refused  to  comply  with  my 
wish,  saying  that  it  would  be  dishonorable  for  his  master  to  al- 
low me  to  leave  him  empty-handed.  But  I  chose  rather  to  fore- 
go the  opportunity  of  taking  final  leave  of  the  prince  Yusuf, 
although  I  could  not  but  feel  sorry  at  not  being  able  to  wait  till 
my  hospitable  host  had  prepared  a  few  tobes  for  me,  as  speci- 
mens of  the  native  manufacture. 

It  rained  during  the  night  and  the  following  morning,  and  we 
had  a  difficult  march  through  the  deep,  swampy  grounds  of 
Logon  ;  but  we  proceeded  onward  till  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, when  we  made  a  halt  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  be- 
yond U^lluf  or  Hulluf,  the  town  before  mentioned,  the  magic  arts 
of  whose  people  frightened  my  companions  also  this  time,  and 
prevented  them  from  seeking  shelter  there.  However,  even  in 
the  village  where  we  stopped  we  were  badly  received  at  first, 
and  it  was  only  by  force  that  my  companions  could  procure 
quarters,  till  I  succeeded  gradually  in  opening  friendly  relations 
with  the  man  who  had  become  my  host  so  much  against  his  will. 
I  even,  with  the  aid  of  a  few  of  the  large  beads  called  nejum, 
succeeded  in  buying  fowls,  milk,  and  corn,  so  that  we  were 
pretty  much  at  our  ease.  The  neighborhood  is  said  to  be  great- 
ly infested  with  thieves,  and  we  therefore  took  all  necessary  pre- 
cautions. 

The  following  day  I  made  A^fade,  passing  by  Kala,  where  I 
was  surprised  to  find  the  swamp  at  present  of  much  smaller  di- 
mensions than  on  my  former  journey,  although  the  season  was 
so  far  advanced.  This  is  a  very  remarkable  phenomenon,  which 
receives  its  explanation  from  the  circumstance  that  these  swamps 
are  fed  by  the  inundations  of  the  river,  which,  notwithstanding 
the  rainy  season,  continue  to  recede  till  the  river  is  again  full, 
and  once  more  inundates  the  country  in  the  month  of  Septem- 
ber. The  latter  part  of  the  road  to  A^fade  was  very  swampy, 
almost  the  whole  of  that  bleak  kabe  tract  being  under  water. 


572 


TRiVVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


Here  my  companions  endeavored  by  all  sorts  of  intrigues  to  de- 
tain me  for  a  day  or  two  ;  but,  notwithstanding  the  hospitable 
treatment  which  I  received  from  the  governor  of  the  place,  I  was 
too  anxious  to  reach  Kukawa,  and,  ordering  my  servants  to  fol- 
low me  as  speedily  as  possible,  I  pursued  my  march  the  follow- 
ing morning  without  delay.  But  the  roads  were  excessively 
bad,  and  we  were  obliged  to  take  quite  a  different  direction  from 
the  one  by  which  we  came,  following  a  more  northerly  one  in 
order  to  avoid  the  impassable  swamps  of  the  town  of  Een,  and 
the  very  difficult  road  of  Ngala. 

Having  passed  several  larger  or  smaller  villages,  and  innu- 
merable swamps,  we  halted  for  the  night,  after  a  march  of  eleven 
hours,  in  a  village  inhabited  by  Shuwa  and  Fellata,  and  called 
Wangara,  a  name  which  is  rather  remarkable ;  but  it  required 
a  long  negotiation  in  order  to  obtain  quarters,  as  these  people, 
who  rely  upon  the  strongholds  afforded  them  by  the  swampy 
neighborhood  of  the  lake,  are  of  a  very  independent  character. 
But,  having  once  made  their  acquaintance,  we  were  hospitably 
treated.  The  billama  of  the  village  was  a  Tynjurawi,  who  had 
emigrated  to  this  place  from  Mondo  ;  but  he  did  not  understand 
the  peculiar  idiom  of  his  tribe. 

During  my  next  day's  march  I  led  rather  an  amphibious  life, 
being  almost  as  much  in  the  water  as  on  the  dry  ground  ;  for, 
besides  being  drenched  by  a  heavy  rain,  which  lasted  the  great- 
er part  of  the  day,  I  had  to  pass  three  considerable  rivulets  with- 
out the  aid  of  a  boat,  and  had  twice  to  strip  myself  and  swim 
my  horse  across,  tying  clothes  and  saddle  on  my  head.  The 
first  rivulet  we  had  to  cross  was  the  Mulu,  about  seven  hund- 
dred  yards  beyond  the  small  town  called  Legari,  which  belongs 
to  Kashella  Belal ;  the  second  was  probably  the  ]\Ibuiu,  and 
identical  with  the  river  called  Gumbalaram  by  Major  Denham, 
beyond  the  village  of  Dagala,  which  lies  on  a  small  eminence. 
At  the  Mulu  we  had  enjoyed  the  assistance  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Legari ;  but  here  I  and  my  m'allem,  with  whom  I  had  vigor- 
ously pushed  on  in  advance,  were  left  to  our  own  resources,  and 
the  strong  current  of  the  rivulet,  which  was  encompassed  by 
steep  banks  about  eight  feet  high,  frightened  my  companion  not 


CROSSING  RIVERS.— BOGIIECWA. 


573 


a  little,  till  I  stripped  first,  and,  relying  upon  my  experience  as 
a  swimmer,  led  the  way.  While  endeavoring  to  cross  over, 
we  were  fortunate  enough  to  meet  with  a  fisherman,  who  was 
floating  about  the  river  on  a  simple  yoke  of  large  gourds,  such 
as  I  have  described  on  a  former  occasion,  and  with  his  assist- 
ance we  succeeded  in  getting  our  horses  and  clothes  across 
without  any  accident.  While  engaged  in  this  arduous  busi- 
ness we  were  joined  by  Grema  'Abdu,  who,  seeing  that  I  was 
obstinate,  and  ashamed  at  not  arriving  in  the  capital  together 
with  us,  had  at  length  left  his  wife  and  slaves  behind,  and  en- 
deavored to  keep  up  with  us.  We  then  continued  our  march 
through  this  swampy  country,  the  rain  falling  in  torrents,  and 
near  the  village  Hokkum  reached  the  third  rivulet,  whicli,  how- 
ever, notwithstanding  its  rapidity,  we  were  able  to  cross  with- 
out dismounting,  the  water  just  reaching  up  to  our  saddles. 

At  length  we  left  behind  us  the  black  argillaceous  soil  which 
constitutes  the  whole  of  this  alluvial  plain,  and  which  at  the 
present  season  was  converted  into  one  continuous  swamp,  fine 
sandy  soil  succeeding  to  it  near  the  village  of  Gujari,  so  that 
from  thence  we  pursued  our  march  more  cheerfully ;  and,  hav- 
ing taken  a  small  luncheon  in  the  village  Debuwa,  we  did  not 
halt  until  we  reached  the  village  of  Bogheowa,  situated  about  a 
mile  N.E.  from  Yedi.  Here  we  were  well  lodged  and  hospi- 
tably treated,  and  were  busy  till  late  at  night  drying  our  wet 
clothes. 

Friday^  August  20th.  We  had  now  only  one  long  day's 
march  to  Kukawa ;  and,  reaching  the  town  of  Ngornu  after  six 
hours'  ride,  I  had  great  trouble  in  dragging  on  my  horsemen, 
who,  being  quite  exhausted,  wanted  to  make  themselves  com- 
fortable with  their  friends,  for  the  Bornu  men  of  the  present  day 
are  not  accustomed  to  much  fatigue.  Indeed,  both  my  com- 
panions were  so  utterly  prostrated  in  mind  and  body  that, 
strange  to  say,  they  lost  their  road  close  to  the  capital,  although 
certainly  the  high  corn-fields  gave  the  country  a  totally  differ- 
ent appearance.  The  great  pond  of  Kaine  was  now  larger  than 
I  had  ever  seen  it,  and  flooded  the  path  to  a  great  extent. 

Having  sent  on  a  man  in  advance  in  order  to  announce  mj 


574 


TRAVELS  IN  APRICA. 


arrival  to  the  vizier  and  Mr.  Overweg,  I  made  a  short  halt  near 
one  of  the  many  pools  of  stagnant  water,  and  we  were  just 
about  to  remount  when  my  friend  came  galloping  up.  We  were 
botli  extremely  glad  to  see  each  other  again,  having  been  sep- 
arated from  one  another  longer  than  on  any  former  occasion ; 
and  they  had  received  in  Kukawa  very  alarming  news  about 
my  reception  in  Bagirmi.  Mr.  Overweg  had  made,  meanwhile, 
a  very  interesting  trip  into  the  southwestern  mountainous  dis- 
tricts of  Bornu  ;  he  had  returned  from  thence  about  two  months 
previously,  and  I  was  surprised  to  find  that,  notwithstanding  the 
long  repose  which  he  had  enjoyed,  he  looked  more  weak  and  ex- 
hausted than  I  had  ever  seen  him.  But  he  informed  me  that 
since  his  return  he  had  been  very  ailing,  and  that  even  at  pres- 
ent he  did  not  feel  quite  recovered.  He  gave  me  a  very  lively 
and  encouraging  description  of  the  means  which  had  been  placed 
at  my  disposal,  and  with  the  most  spirited  projects  for  the  fu- 
ture we  entered  the  town.  Here  I  once  more  found  myself  in 
my  old  quarters,  with  luxuries  at  my  command  which,  during 
the  last  six  months,  had  become  almost  strange  to  me,  such  as 
coffee  with  sugar,  and  tea  with  milk  and  sugar. 

It  was  very  fortunate  that  I  had  not  arrived  half  a  day  later, 
for  the  caravan  as  well  as  tlie  courier  had  gone,  and  not  less 
than  four  days  had  passed  since  the  departure  of  the  latter,  so 
tliat  the  people  declared  that  it  was  not  possible  to  send  my  let- 
ters after  him.  But  the  vizier,  upon  whom  I  called  early  the 
next  morning,  and  who  received  me  with  great  kindness,  gave 
me  three  horsemen,  who,  he  said,  would  overtake  the  courier, 
and  as  I  had  fortunately  answered  my  letters  and  dispatches  in 
Bagirmi,  I  had  only  to  make  up  my  parcel ;  but  the  horsemen 
did  not  overtake  the  courier  till  he  had  got  forty  miles  beyond 
Xgegimi,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  desert.  My  servants  did  not 
arrive  until  the  evening  of  the  following  day,  and  they  wxre  in 
rather  a  sorry  plight,  having  had  great  difficulty  with  my  camel 
and  luggage. 

Monday^  August  23d.  We  had  a  very  important  private  au- 
dience with  the  sheikh,  when,  after  the  usual  compliments  were 
passed,  I  endeavored  to  give  him  a  clear  description  of  the  pres- 


TREATY  SIGNED.— MONEY-IMATTERS. 


575 


ent  relations  of  the  expedition ;  for,  when  he  expressed  his  wish 
that  I  might  be  appointed  by  her  majesty  as  a  consul,  I  de- 
clared to  him  that  that  could  not  be,  but  that  it  was  my  busi- 
ness to  explore  unknown  countries,  to  open  intercourse  with 
them,  and  afterward  to  return  to  my  native  country  ;  that  it  was 
the  most  ardent  desire  of  her  majesty's  government  to  enter  into 
the  most  friendly  relations  with  Bornu,  but  that  our  scientific 
mission  extended  far  beyond  that  country.  And  I  further  ex- 
plained to  him  that  government,  in  their  last  dispatches,  had  ex- 
pressed their  wish  that  if  we  should  ascertain  the  impossibility 
of  penetrating  in  a  southerly  or  easterly  direction,  we  might  turn 
westward  and  endeavor  to  reach  Timbuktu. 

This  statement  seemed  to  gratify  him  extremely,  as  he  was 
afraid  of  nothing  more  than  that  we  might  go  to  Waday,  and 
enter  into  friendly  relations  with  the  sultan  of  that  country.  It 
is  from  this  point  of  view  that  I  am  quite  sure  that  the  vizier, 
at  least,  had  done  nothing  to  insure  me  a  good  reception  in  Ba- 
girmi,  if  not  the  contrary.  However,  the  sultan  declared  that, 
as  he  was  greatly  pleased  at  our  desire  to  try  our  fortune  in  a 
westerly  direction,  he  should  not  prevent  us,  even  if  we  wanted 
to  go  to  Waday,  as  it  was  stipulated  expressly  in  the  treaty 
that  her  Britannic  majesty's  subjects  might  go  wherever  they 
pleased,  although  it  was  not  until  a  few  days  later  that  he  act- 
ually signed  the  treaty,  after  numerous  delays  and  evasions.  I, 
however,  expressed  my  wish  that,  before  we  left  the  country, 
circumstances  might  allow  us  to  complete  the  survey  and  ex- 
ploration of  the  Tsad,  which  was  both  our  own  wish  and  that 
of  the  British  government.  Our  addresses  and  our  presents 
having  been  received  with  equal  affability,  we  took  a  hearty 
leave,  and  returned  home.  On  tlie  last  day  of  August  the  sul- 
tan signed  the  treaty,  expressing  moreover  the  hope  that,  if  mer- 
chants should  actually  visit  the  country  in  quest  of  other  mer- 
chandise than  slaves,  the  slave-trade  might  be  gi-adually  abol- 
ished. 

I  was  now  enabled  to  arrange  all  our  money-matters,  which 
were  in  a  very  confused  and  desperate  state ;  for,  besides  the 
large  debt  due  to  the  merchant  Mohammed  e'  Sfaksi,  we  were 


576 


TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 


indebted  to  the  vizier  alone  for  500  Spanish  dollars.  Not  be- 
ing able  to  satisfy  all  our  creditors  with  ready  money,  there  hav- 
ing been  sent  only  1050  dollars  in  cash,  I  arranged  witli  the 
mercliant,  giving  him  200  dollars  in  cash,  and  a  bill  for  1500 
dollars  on  Fezzan,  while  I  paid  all  the  smaller  debts,  as  well  as 
that  of  the  vizier.  Indeed,  we  might  now  have  been  able  to 
achieve  a  great  deal  if  it  had  been  our  destiny  to  remain  togeth- 
er ;  for  in  the  beginning  almost  all  our  efforts  were  paralyzed 
by  the  smallness  of  our  means,  which  did  not  allow  us  to  un- 
dertake any  thing  on  a  large  scale  ;  but  it  was  our  destiny  that, 
when  sufficient  supplies  had  arrived,  one  of  us  should  succumb. 

I  have  already  observed  that,  when  on  my  return  I  met  my 
companion  before  the  gates  of  the  capital,  I  was  surprised  at  his 
exhausted  appearance,  and  I  was  sorry  to  find  that  my  first 
impression  was  confirmed  by  what  I  saw  afterward.  As  he 
himself  was  anxious  for  a  little  change  of  air,  and  as  it  was  en- 
tirely in  accordance  with  our  object  of  exploring  the  lake,  to 
observe  the  state  of  the  komadugu  at  this  season,  while  it  was 
not  possible  at  present  to  enter  upon  any  great  undertaking,  we 
agreed  that  he  should  make  a  small  trip  to  the  lower  part  of  the 
river ;  and  he  left,  accordingly,  for  A'jiri  on  the  29th  of  Au- 
gust, in  company  with  a  small  grandee  or  kokana,  to  whom  the 
place  belonged,  a  short  distance  westward  from  the  district  of 
Duchi.  I  accompanied  him  about  as  far  as  the  village  of  Da- 
werghu,  and  we  separated  with  a  firm  hope  that  the  excursion 
would  do  him  a  great  deal  of  good — and  he  really  enjoyed  ex- 
tremely the  rich  vegetation  of  the  komadugu,  which  at  this  time 
of  the  year,  during  the  rising  of  the  river,  was  in  its  full  vigor. 
He  learned,  by  inquiry  from  the  natives,  the  very  interesting 
fact  that  the  water  in  the  komadugu,  whicli  during  the  dry  sea- 
son is  limited  to  detached  pools  of  stagnant  water,  begins  to 
form  a  continuous  stream  of  water  eastward  toward  the  Tsad  on 
the  21st  or  22d  of  July,  and  continues  running  for  about  sev- 
en months  ;  that  is  to  say,  till  about  the  middle  of  February. 
It  begins  to  overflow  its  banks  in  the  month  of  November.  But, 
although  my  companion  took  great  interest  in  the  objects  around 
him,  he  could  not  have  felt  very  strong,  as  the  notes  which  he 


MR.  OVERWEG'S  LAST  EXCURSION. 


577 


wrote  during  this  excursion  are  extremely  short  and  unsatisfac- 
tory, while  it  would  have  been  of  importance  if  he  had  been  able 
to  lay  down  the  course  of  the  river  with  tolerable  exactitude. 
Moreover,  in  his  feeble  condition,  he  committed  the  mistake  of 
forcing  his  last  day's  march  in  returning  to  Kukawa  on  the  13th 
of  September,  and  I  was  sorry  to  observe,  when  we  supped  to- 
gether that  evening,  that  his  appetite  greatly  failed  him. 

Being  fully  aware  of  the  unhealthiness  of  the  climate  during 
the  month  of  September,  we  agreed  by  common  consent  to  keep 
moving  about  as  much  as  possible,  and  to  take  a  ride  every  day 
to  some  distance.  It  was  on  this  account  that  we  arranged  a 
visit  to  Dawerghu  on  Sunday,  the  20th ;  but,  unfortunately, 
some  business  which  we  had  to  transact  prevented  our  setting 
out  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  and,  my  friend's  head  be- 
ing that  day  rather  affected,  I  proposed  to  him  putting  off  our 
excursion  till  another  day ;  but  he  thought  that  the  fresh  air 
might  do  him  good.  We  therefore  started  in  the  heat  of  the 
day,  although  the  sun  was  not  very  bright,  while  my  compan- 
ion did  not  neglect  to  protect  his  head  as  well  as  possible  from 
the  rays  of  the  sun. 

Having  refreshed  ourselves  in  the  cool  shade  of  a  fine  hajilij, 
Mr.  Overweg  thought  himself  strong  enough  to  go  about  shoot- 
ing, and  was  so  imprudent  as  to  enter  deep  water  in  pursuit  of 
some  water-fowl,  and  to  remain  in  his  wet  clothes  all  the  day 
without  saying  a  word ;  and  I  only  became  aware  of  this  fact 
late  in  the  evening,  after  we  had  returned  to  the  town,  when  he 
dried  his  wet  clothes  at  the  fire. 

Although  he  had  been  moving  about  the  whole  day,  he  was 
not  able  to  enjoy  our  simple  supper ;  but  he  did  not  complain. 
However,  the  next  morning  he  felt  so  weak  that  he  was  unable 
to  rise  from  his  couch and  instead  of  taking  a  sudorific,  Avhich 
I  most  earnestly  advised  him  to  do,  he  was  so  obstinate  as  not 
to  take  any  medicine  at  all,  so  that  his  illness  increased  with  an 
alarming  rapidity,  and  rather  an  alarming  symptom  appeared  on 
the  following  day,  when  his  speech  became  quite  inarticulate 
and  almost  unintelligible.  He  then  became  aware  himself  of 
the  dangerous  state  he  was  in.    He  informed  me  that  in  the 

Vol.  IL— O  o 


378 


TRAVELS  IN  AFKICA. 


town  he  should  never  recover,  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary 
for  him  to  get  a  change  of  air,  and  that  he  entertained  the  hope 
that,  if  I  could  take  him  to  Maduwari,  he  might  speedily  regain 
his  health  in  the  house  of  our  friend,  the  kasliella  Fugo  'Ah'. 

It  was  a  difficult  task  to  take  my  sick  companion  to  the  de- 
sired place,  which  is  distant  from  Kiikawa  more  than  eight 
miles  ;  and  though  he  began  his  journey  on  Thursday  morning, 
he  could  not  reach  the  desired  place  until  the  morning  of  Fri- 
day. Having  made  a  present  to  our  friend  Fugo  'Ali,  that  he 
might  be  induced  to  take  sufficient  care  of  him,  and  having  left 
the  necessary  orders,  I  returned  to  the  town  in  order  to  finish 
ray  dispatches;  but  the  same  evening  one  of  the  servants  whom 
I  had  left  with  Mr.  Overw^eg  came  and  informed  me  that  he  was 
much  worse,  and  that  they  were  unable  to  understand  a  single 
word  lie  said.  I  mounted  immediately,  and  found  my  friend  in 
a  most  distressing  condition,  lying  outside  in  the  court-yard,  as 
he  had  obstinately  refused  to  sleep  in  the  hut.  He  was  bedew- 
ed w^ith  a  cold  perspiration,  and  had  thrown  off  all  his  cover- 
ings. He  did  not  recognize  me,  and  would  not  allow  me  or 
any  one  else  to  cover  him.  Being  seized  with  a  terrible  fit  of 
delirium,  and  muttering  unintelligible  words,  in  which  all  the 
events  of  his  life  seemed  to  be  confused,  he  jumped  up  repeat- 
edly in  a  raging  fit  of  madness,  and  rushed  against  the  trees 
and  into  the  fire,  while  four  men  were  scarcely  able  to  hold  him. 

At  length,  toward  morning,  he  became  more  quiet,  and  re- 
mained tranquilly  on  his  couch  ;  and,  not  becoming  aware  that 
his  strength  was  broken,  and  hoping  that  he  might  have  passed 
the  crisis,  I  thought  I  might  return  to  the  town.  After  asking 
him  if  he  had  any  particular  desire,  he  said  that  he  had  some- 
thing to  tell  me ;  but  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  understand 
him,  and  I  can  only  fancy,  from  what  happened,  that,  being- 
aware  that  death  was  at  hand,  he  wanted  to  recommend  his 
family  to  me. 

At  an  early  hour  on  Sunday  morning  Mr.  Overweg's  chief 
servant  came  to  me  with  the  sad  news  tliat  the  state  of  my 
friend  was  very  alarming,  and  that  since  I  had  left  him  he  had 
not  spoken  a  word,  but  was  lying  motionless.    I  mounted  im- 


DEATH  OF  MR.  OVERWEG.  579 

mediately  on  horseback ;  but,  before  I  reached  the  place,  I  was 
met  by  a  brother  of  Fiigo  'Ali,  who,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  told 
rae  tliat  our  friend  was  gone.  With  the  dawn  of  day,  while  a 
few  drops  of  rain  were  falling,  after  a  short  struggle,  his  soul 
had  departed. 

In  the  afternoon  I  laid  him  in  his  gi'ave,  which  was  dug  in 
the  shade  of  a  fine  hajilij,  and  well  protected  from  the  beasts 
of  prey.  Thus  died  my  sole  friend  and  companion,  in  the  thir- 
tieth year  of  his  age,  and  in  the  prime  of  his  youth.  It  was 
not  reserved  for  him  to  finish  his  travels,  and  to  return  home  in 
safety ;  but  he  met  a  most  honorable  death  as  a  martyr  to  sci- 
ence ;  and  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  he  found  himself  a  grave 
on  the  very  borders  of  that  lake  by  the  navigation  of  which  he 
has  rendered  his  name  celebrated  forever.  It  was  certainly  a 
presentiment  of  his  approaching  death  which  actuated  him  in 
his  ardent  desire  to  be  removed  to  this  place,  where  he  died 
hard  by  the  boat  in  which  he  had  made  his  voyage.  IMany  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  place,  who  had  known  him  w^ell  during 
his  repeated  visits  to  the  village,  bitterly  lamented  his  death, 
and  no  doubt  the  "  tabib,"  as  he  was  called,  will  long  be  re- 
membered by  them. 

Dejected,  and  full  of  sad  reflections  on  my  lonely  situation,  I 
returned  into  the  town  in  the  evening  j  but  our  dwelling,  which 
during  my  stay  in  Bagirmi  my  companion  had  greatly  improved, 
and  embellished  by  whitewashing  it  with  a  kind  of  gypsum,  of 
which  he  found  a  layer  in  our  court-yard,  now  appeared  to  me 
desolate  and  melancholy  in  the  extreme.  While,  therefore, 
originally  it  had  been  my  plan  to  make  another  trial  along  the 
eastern  shores  of  the  Tsad,  any  longer  stay  in  this  place  had 
now  become  so  intolerable  to  me  that  I  determined  to  set  out  as 
soon  as  possible  on  my  journey  toward  the  Niger — to  new  coun- 
tries and  new  people. 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX  I. 

CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE,  CONTAINING  A  LIST  OF  THE  SE'FUWA,  OR  KINGS  OF 
BOTINU  DESCENDED  FROM  SE'F,  WITH  THE  FEW  HISTORICAL  FACTS  AND 
EVENTS  UNDER  THEIR  RESPECTIVE  REIGNS  THAT  HAVE  COME  TO  OUR 
KNOWLEDGE. 

[The  length  of  the  reigns  is  given  in  lunar  years.] 

Sep,  [said  to  be]  son  of  Dhu  Yazan  and  of  a  woman  of  Mekka.   Died  at  Samina, 
a  place  in  the  territory  of  the  Dajo  (?)*    Reigned  20  years. 
Is  said  to  have  come  to  Kanem,  where  he  founded  a  new  dynasty,  and  reigned 
over  several  tribes,  viz.,  the  Berbers  (Beghama  ?),  Tebu  or  Teda,  Kanembu,  and 
others.    Imam  A'hmed  states  expressly  that  he  came  to  Nji'miye. 

Ibrahim  or  Bira^i,  son  of  Sef  and  'Aaisha,    Reigned  16  years. 
"Father  of  the  Sultan." — Imam  A'hmed. 

DuKu  or  DuGU,  son  of  I'brahim  and  Ghafaluwa,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Kaye.  Died 
at  Yeri  A'rfasa,  a  place  said  by  the  Bornu  people  (I  have  no  doubt  errone- 
ously) to  lie  S.  from  Tiiburi,  in  the  Mvisgu  country.  We  shall  find  a  place 
Yira  in  Kanem.  Reigned  [250]  (?)  years ;  probably  second  half  of  the  9th 
century  A.D. 

Seems  to  be  generally  recognized  as  the  first  king  of  this  dynasty ;  and  for 
this  reason,  his  father  I'brahim  is  called  "  father  of  the  Sultan."  There  is  still 
in  Bornu  a  numerous  family  called  Duguwa,  who  refer  their  origin  to  Diigu  ;  and 
it  would  seem  that  Duguwa  is  the  name  which  really  belongs  to  the  dynast}',  as 
is  intimated  by  the  chronicle  itself  further  on, 

FcxE,  son  of  Dugu.    Died  at  Malana,  a  place  in  Kanem.    Reigned  60  years. 
A  powerful  and  successful  prince. 

Aritso,  son  of  Fune  and  Fukalshi.   Reigned  50  years. 

PCatl'RI,  son  of  Aritso  ben  Fune.    Died  at  Kaluwana.    Reigned  [250]  (?)  years. 

Adtoma,  Ayoma,  or  Watama,  son  of  Katuri  and  Tumayu,  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Beni  Ghalgha.    Died  at  Tatnuri,  with  an  uncertain  surname,  Bereriya. 
(Berberlya  ?)    Reigned  20  years. 
His  reign  evidently  falls  in  the  last  years  of  the  4th  and  the  first  of  the  5th 
century  of  the  Hejra;  most  probably  in  390-410,  or  A.D.  1000-1019. 

BuLu,  son  of  Adyoma  and  Ghanjaya,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Kaye.  Died  at  Dheghja- 
badmi  or  Meghjibadmi.    Reigned  1 6  years. 

*  See  Edrisi,  translated  by  Jaubert,  vol.  i.,  p.  25, 119.  Jaubert  reads  Semnah ;  but  the  name 
Samina  is  of  frequent  occurrence  on  the  border  of  Negroland. 


582 


APPENDIX. 


A'rki,  son  of  Bulu  and  Azisenna,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Temagheri.    Died  at  Rllana 
or  Zilana.    Reigned  44  years. 
Had  plenty  of  slaves,  of  whom  he  settled  300  in  Dirka  (probably  Dirki),  300 
in  Si'ggedim,  both  in  Kawar ;  and  300  in  Ri'lana  or  Zilana,  the  place  where  he 
died.    From  this  it  is  evident  that  he  was  master  of  the  Tebu  country. 

Shu  or  Huwa,*  son  of  A'rki  and  Tefsu,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Temagheri.    Died  at 
Ghanta  Kamna.    Reigned  4  years. 
Distinguished  by  his  fine  figure.    If  we  knew  that  he  "  reigned  by  a  viceroy 
or  khalifa,"  we  should  conclude  that  he  was  an  effeminate  man ;  but  that  is  only 
M.  Blau's  misapprehension.f 

Selma  or  'Abd  el  Jelil,  son  of  Shu  and  of  a  woman  of  the  tribe  of  the  Ghe- 
marma  (Magharma?).  Died  at  Ghumzu,  with  the  surname  Ridha  (?). 
Reigned  4  years. 

Was  the  last  king  of  the  dynasty  of  the  Duguwa  or  Beni  Dugu,  if  we  under- 
stand this  name  as  coincident  with  idolatry.  For  although  the  chronicle  distin- 
guishes plainly  between  the  Beni  Dugu  and  the  Beni  Hume,  nevertheless  it  is 
evident  that  Hume,  the  successor  of  'Abd  el  Jelil,  and  the  first  Mohammedan 
king  of  Kanem,  was  his  son.  It  is  therefore  clear  that  Bern'  Hume  means  noth- 
ing else  than  the  Mohammedan  kings,  as  contradistinguished  from  the  Duguwa, 
the  pagans.l 

Hume  or  Ume,  son  of  'Abd  el  Jelil  and  Tikramma,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Kaye. 
Died  at  Masr  (Egypt).  Reigned  12  years :  A.H.  479-490  ;  A.D.  1086-1097. 
Founded  a  new  dynasty  by  the  profession  of  Islam.  Makrizi's  {Hamaher,  p. 
206)  statement,  that  the  first  Mohammedan  king  of  Kanem  was  Mohammed  Ben 
Jebel  (or  rather  Jil),  refers  most  probably  to  the  later  dynasty  of  Kanem,  namely, 
the  Bulala,  while  he  counted  all  the  members  of  this  and  the  older  Bornu  dynasty 
together,  and  made  up  the  number  of  forty  kings  who  had  preceded  him.  (See 
what  I  have  said  above  on  this  point,  p.  22.)  The  missionary  who  introduced 
Islam  into  Kanem,  according  to  the  same  Makrizi,  was  Hadi  el  'Othmam.  From 
the  place  where  Hume  died,  it  may  be  inferred  that  he  intended,  or  even  accom- 
plished, a  pilgrimage. 

DuNAMA,  son  of  Hume  and  Kinta,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Tebu  or  Teda  (not  Tih). 

Died  in  Egypt,  or  rather  the  Gulf  of  Suez.    Reigned  55  years :  A.H.  491- 

545;  A.D.  1098-1150. 
A  very  powerful  king ;  according  to  the  chronicle,  the  most  powerful  of  the 
Beni  Hume,  who  had  a  strong  and  very  numerous  army,  horse  and  foot,  and 
made  thrice  the  pilgrimage  to  Mekka  with  a  numerous  retinue.  Having  excited 
the  suspicions  of  the  inhabitants  of  Egypt,  he  is  said  to  have  been  drowned  by 
them  when  embarking  at  Suez  for  Mekka ;  and  in  the  very  turbulent  state  in 
which  Egypt  was  at  that  time,  under  the  reign  of  e'  Dhafer  be  amr-Illah,  this  is 

*  The  name  of  Huwa,  as  the  name  of  a  man,  appears  also  in  Imfim  A'hmed's  history. 


dignity  of  the  ruler  of  Kanem  as  a  khallfate. 

X  It  is  very  remarkable,  and  confirms  the  dates  of  the  chronicle  marvelously,  that  El  Bekri. 
who  wrote  toward  the  end  of  the  dynasty  of  the  Duguwa,  in  the  reign  of  A'rki,  A.D.  1067,  says 
expressly  (p.  456)  that  the  inhabitants  of  Kanem  were  at  that  time  idolaters. 


means  only  he  ascended  the  throne,  the  Bornu  people  regarding  the 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  BO  RXU. 


583 


by  no  means  so  improbable  as  it  might  otherwise  appear  to  be.  The  capital 
Njimiye,  notwithstanding  the  strength  of  the  empire,  seems  to  have  been  at  thai 
time  still  a  very  small  place.* 

Bi'ki,  son  of  Diinama  and  Fasame,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Kaye.  Died  at  Ghamtilii  ? 
Bela  Ghanna  (billa  ghana?).  Reigned  27  years  :  A.H.  546-572 ;  A.D.  1151- 
117G. 

Seems  to  have  been  at  first  entirely  under  the  influence  of  his  mother,  who 
even  imprisoned  him.  If  he  had  not  much  energy,  he  must  have  been  at  least 
a  very  learned  man,  for  Imam  A'hmed  calls  him  "  el  faki  e'  taki,"  p.  31 ;  and  it 
would  seem  from  the  report  of  the  chronicle  that  part  of  the  ceremonial  of  the 
court  dates  from  his  time,  even  if  through  the  influence  of  his  mother. 

'Abd  Allah  or  Dala,  son  of  Bikoru  ben  Biri  and  of  Zmeb,  of  the  tribe  of  the 

Tebu  or  Tubu  (not  Tuba).    Died  at  Fafsa.    Reigned  17  years  :  A.H.  573- 

589;  A.D.  1177-1193. 
Selma  or  'Abd  el  Jeli'l,  son  of  Bikoru  and  Huwa,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Debirf. 

Died  at  Jejeska  Ghaznvana.    Reigned  28  years :  A.H.  590-617 ;  A.D.  1194- 

1220. 

As  he  lived  in  the  most  flourishing  period  of  the  Bern'  Hafis,  the  Tunisian 
princes  who,  by  their  friendship,  are  said  to  have  occasioned  the  ascendency  of 
the  Bornu  kings  over  the  whole  desert,+  he  must  have  been  one  of  the  most 
powerful  of  the  latter.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  black  king  of  this 
dynasty,  all  the  Bornu  kings  before  him  having  had  a  light  complexion  like  the 
Arabs.  But  this  latter  assertion  seems  to  be  contradicted  by  the  fact  that  a  pre- 
ceding king  hu,d  borne  the  name  of  Selma  or  Tselma,  which  means  "  the  black"' 
(properly  tselima),  from  tselim  or  tsllim,  "  black." 

Dlnama  or  A'hmed,  son  of  Selma  and  Dibala  (therefore  his  full  name  Dlbalami 
Dunama  Selmami),  of  the  tribe  of  the  Maghdrma.  Died  at  Zamtam,  a  little- 
W.  from  Ghambaru.  Reigned  40  years:  A.H.  618-657;  A.D.  1221-1259. 
A  very  warlike  prince,  who  waged  many  wars,  which  were  generally  conducted 
by  his  sons,  who  in  consequence  formed  themselves  into  parties  and  factions. 
His  strength,  like  that  of  his  ancestor  Dunama,  seems  to  have  consisted  chiefly 
in  cavalry,  of  which  he  is  said  in  the  chronicle  to  have  possessed  41,000;  but, 
according  to  the  more  credible  testimony  of  Wanuma  Mohammed  Ghana,  cited 
by  Imam  A'hmed  (p.  77,  78),  he  had  30,000 ;  and  that  ought  not  to  apjjear  so 
exaggerated,  although  the  king  in  Leo's  time  had  only  3000,  for  that  was  a  ver}' 
ditFerent  period,  when  the  empire  was  almost  ruined.  Dunama's  most  celebrated 
deed  of  which  we  are  informed  is  the  war  he  waged  against  the  Tebu  for  more 
than  seven  years;  according  to  tradition,  7  years,  7  months,  and  7  days.  And 
it  is  most  probable  that  it  was  this  enterprising  and  restless  king  who  extended 
the  empire  of  Kanem  over  the  whole  of  Fezzan,  a  state  of  things  which  lasted 
till  about  the  middle  of  the  14th  century.^    He  likewise  is  the  king  who,  in  the 

*  Edris'i,  translated  by  Jaubert,  vol.  i.,  p.  24,  where  ^♦■'^^t  is  to  be  read  instead  of 
t  E'bn  Khaldun,  I.  c. 

X  A'bu  '1  Feda,  texte  Arabc,  p.  245,  compared  mth  p.  127,  where,  in  speaking  of  Wadan,  he 
sajs  distinctly,  ♦        1  ^  "  And  the  whole  ol 


584 


APPENDIX. 


time  of  E'bn  S'ald,  A.H.  650  (A.D.  1252-3),  invaded  the  well-watered  populous 
country  of  Mabina,*  which  it  is  difficult  to  identify,  although  the  name  bears 
some  resemblance  to  Fumbina,  the  indigenous  name  of  A'damawa,  while  the 
geographer's  account  of  the  situation  of  that  country  agrees  well  with  Fumbina ; 
but  we  shall  find  another  name  closely  related  to  it.  It  is  also  E'bn  S'aid  who 
first  calls  Bornu — that  is,  the  country  on  the  southwestern  side  of  the  Tsad  as 
tar  as  DIkowa — part  of  Kanem.  The  empire  of  Kanem  at  that  time  extended, 
according  to  Imam  A'hmed,  from  the  Nile,  near  Dhuwi,  as  far  as  the  rivulet 
Saramuwasa,  in  the  west,  which  most  probably  is  identical  with  what  Clapperton 
(Second  Journey,  p.  63)  calls  the  River  Moussa  (bahr  Musa),  the  river  which 
divides  the  territories  of  Yoruba  and  Borgu,  and  we  may  add,  from  Mabina  in 
the  south  to  "VVadan  in  the  north.  (See  what  I  have  said,  p.  22  ;  also,  Avith  re- 
gard to  the  present  sent  by  the  King  of  Bornu  to  the  ruler  of  Tunis  in  A.H.  665.) 
But  Diinama  laid  the  foundation  for  the  ensuing  disasters  of  the  empire  by  open- 
ing, as  the  Bornu  people  say,  the  "munni"  or  "talisman  of  Bornu."  What  it 
was  it  is  difficult  to  say  ;t  but  what  it  meant  may  be  more  easily  conjectured, 
chiefly  from  the  words  of  the  Imam  A'hmed,  who  expresses  himself  thus  (p.  123, 
124):  "When  the  thing  which  was  in  it  (the  talisman)  escaped,  it  called  forth 
and  provoked  every  powerful  man  to  ambition  and  intrigues,  in  the  government 
and  in  high  charges."  Indeed,  from  this  time,  civil  wars,  murders  of  kings,  and 
changes  in  the  dynasty  succeeded  each  other  without  interruption. 

"The  true  faith,  in  his  time,"  according  to  E'bn  S'aid,  "was  largely  dissemi- 
nated in  Kanem" — a  remarkable  change  effected  since  the  time  when  El  Bekri 
wrote  his  account.  It  was  under  his  reign  (A.H.  640)  that  the  inhabitants  of 
Kanem  built  the  Medreset  E'bn  Rashik  at  Cairo,  where  their  travelers  might 
alight.  J 

IvADE  or  'Abd  el  Kadim,  son  of  Dunama  (?)  and  Mathala,  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Megharma.    Died  at  Dhurrfya  Ghimutu.    Reigned  29  years :  A.H.  658- 
686;  A.D.  1259-1285. 
Murdered  by  a  man  of  the  name  of  'Andakama  Dunama.    We  know  nothing 

further  of  his  reign. 

Bmi  (I  brahim),  son  of  Dunama  and  Zineb,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Lekmamma. 
Died  at  Njimiye.    Reigned  20  years :  A.H.  687-706 ;  A.D.  1288-1306. 
"  A  conqueror,"  but  unfortunately  it  is  not  known  in  what  quarter  he  made 
his  conquests.    It  is  an  important  fact,  gleaned  from  the  chronicle,  that  two 

the  country  is  at  present  under  the  dominion  of  the  King  of  Kanem."  In  the  time  of  Makrizi 
the  empire  of  Kanem  extended  from  Zala,  the  well-known  place  eight  days' march  from  Aiijila, 
and  the  same  distance  from  the  syrtis  (Edrisi,  p.  288 ;  A'bu  '1  Feda,  p.  128),  as  far  as  Kaku 
(Gogo),  on  the  meridian  of  Maghreb  el  aiisat. — Quatremere,  Memoires  sur  VEgypte,  vol.  ii., 
p.  28. 

*  E'bn  S'aid,  cited  by  Makrizi.  Hamaker,  Specimen  Catal.,  p.  206.  It  is  to  be  remarked  that 
in  both  instances  where  the  name  is  mentioned,  a  ^  precedes,  which  might  have  taken  away 
the  i  . 

t  Mr.  Blau  (p.  311),  in  translating  this  passage  of  the  chronicle,  which  he  did  not  understand, 
lias  made  a  most  ridiculous  mistake. 

t  Makrizi,  in  Burckhardt's  Travels  in  Nubia,  Appendix  III.,  p.  450;  Quatremere,  MemoircK 
sur  I'Egypte,  vol.  ii.,  p.  28. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  BO  RNU.  585 


religious  chiefs  of  the  Fiilbe  or  Fellata  of  Melle  carae  to  him.*  Known  to 
Maknzl. 

(I'brahim)  Nikale,  son  of  (Bi'ri)  I'brahim  and  of  Kakiidi,  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Kiinkuna.  Died  at  Diskama,  a  place  on  the  Bornu  River,  one  day's  march 
from  the  later  capital,  or  Birni.  Reigned  20  years:  A.H.  707-726;  A.D. 
1307-1326. 

Killed  one  of  his  sons,  who  most  probably  had  revolted  against  him ;  was 
murdered  himself,  and  thrown  into  the  River  Waii,  the  so-called  Yeou,  by  Yerama 
Mohammed.  From  the  title  "  Haj"  given  to  him  by  Makrizi,  we  see  that  he  made 
a  pilgrimage  to  Mekka. 

'Add  Allah,  son  of  Kade  and  Fatima.  Died  at  Njimiye.  Reigned  20  years : 
A.H.  727-746 ;  A.D.  1326-1345. 
A  just  prince,  who,  having  punished  the  murderers  of  the  former  king,  and 
after  having  successfully  vanquished  his  rival,  the  Bagharima  (see  further  down, 
and  not  as  Blau,  p.  326,  n.  18,  translates,  "Prince  of  Bagharmi,"  a  state  not 
existing  at  that  time),  seems  to  have  established  his  power  with  a  strong  hand. 

Sel3ia,  son  of  'Abd  Allah  and  of  Kamma.  Died  at  Yiisub.  Reigned  4  years : 
A.H.  747-750;  A.D.  1346-1349. 
Fell  in  a  war  with  the  So,  or  Soy,t  the  original  inhabitants  of  the  greater  part 
of  the  countr}'  between  the  Wau  (Yeou)  and  the  Shari.  This  powerful  nation, 
whom  the  former  kings  seem  to  have  greatly  reduced,  but  without  taking  and 
destroying  their  strongholds,  appears  to  have  risen  at  that  period  in  a  successful 
war  against  their  aggressors,  vanquishing  and  killing  four  successive  Bornu  kings, 
all  sons  of  the  unfortunate  'Abd  Allah,  whom  an  afflicted  mother  is  said  to  have 
cursed. 

KuRE  Ghana,  son  of  'Abd  Allah.    Died  at  Ghaliwa  (?).  Reigned  1  year:  A.H. 

751 ;  A.D.  1350. 
Vanquished  and  killed  by  the  So. 
KuRE  KuRA,  son  of  'Abd  Allah.    Died  at  Ghaliwa.    Reigned  1  year :  A.H.  752 : 

A.D.  1351. 

Vanquished  and  killed  by  the  So,  at  the  same  place  as  his  brother  and  prede- 
cessor. 

Mohammed,  son  of  'Abd  Allah.    Died  at  Nanigham.    Reigned  1  year :  A.H. 
753;  A.D.  1352. 
Vanquished  and  killed  by  the  So. 

Edris,  son  of  Nikale  (I'brahim)  and  Hafsa.  Died  at  Njimiye.  This  is  the  cur- 
rent tradition  ;  but  some  maintained  that  he  died  at  Dammasak.^  Reigned 
25  years  :  A.H.  754-778  ;  A,D.  1353-1376. 

•  Mr.  Blau  has  also  misunderstood  this  passage.     {^^^  p^^-^"*^*^  means  nothing  else 
but  that  their  native  country  was  Melle. 
t  Mr.  Blau,  of  course,  who  had  no  knowledge  of  the  Soy,  must  be  excused  for  having  read  in 

all  these  passages  ?  although  the  second  ^  belongs  to  the  following  sentence,  the  dots 

in  his  copy  being  added  by  negligence. 

X  The  place  Dammasak  may  still  be  identified  from  a  basin  of  the  komadugu  which  has  been 
called  after  it.  It  is  at  present  generally  called  Fdtoghana  (see  ante,  vol.  i.,  p.  582). — Denham 
(who  writes  Diimmasak),  vol.  i.,  p.  160;  but  in  the  map  the  name  is  correctly  spelled  from  Clap- 
perton's  account. 


586 


APPENDIX. 


Reijjned  in  the  middle  of  A.D.  1853  (A.H.  754),  when  ElDn  Batuta,  who  calls 
him  Kin<j  of  Bornu,  returned  from  his  visit  to  Melle  and  Songhay  by  way  of  Te- 
kadda.  It  is  evident  that  the  sons  of  'Abd  Allah  having  all  died,  the  royal  dig- 
nity reverted  to  the  family  of  Nikale  (I'brahim).  Whether  Edrls  was  more  suc- 
cessful than  his  predecessors  against  the  So  we  are  not  informed,  nor  do  we  know 
anv  thing  of  his  reign  ;  and,  indeed,  the  great  uncertainty  which  prevails  as  to  the 
place  where  he  died  seems  to  intimate  rather  a  quiet  reign,  at  least  as  regards  its 
latter  period,  though,  as  Dammasak  was  one  of  the  chief  strongholds  of  the  So, 
it  would  have  been  of  some  importance  for  us  to  know  positively  whether  he 
died  there. 

He  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Mekka,  and  is  therefore  called  "Haj  Edris"  by 
Makn'zi. 

Daud,  son  of  Nikale  (I'brahim)  and  Fatima,  a  sister  of  Hafsa,  the  mother  of  his 
brother  and  predecessor  Edris.  Died  at  Melfala.  Reigned  10  years  :  A.H. 
779-788;  A.D.  1377-1386. 

A  very  important,  but  rather  unfortunate  reign,  bearing  the  germs  of  the 
expulsion  of  the  Bornu  dynasty  from  Kanem,  their  original  seat,  and  of  the 
transference  of  their  residence  to  Bornu.  The  successful  aggressors  were  the 
Bulala  (as  the  name  is  written  in  the  chronicle),  or  rather  Bitlala  (as  Imam 
Alimed  constantly  writes  it,  and  as  the  name  is  pronounced  generally),  who, 
originating  from  a  branch  line  of  the  royal  family  of  Kanem,  by  their  forefather 
Jil  Shikomemi  (a  son  of  Dunama  Dibalami  ?),  had  founded  a  powerful  principality 
in  the  territory  of  Fittri  ("  the  lake"),  over  the  numerous  tribes  of  the  Kiika 
(Leo's  Gaoga).  As  to  the  period  of  the  rise  of  this  dynasty  we  have  the  distinct 
testimony  of  Imam  A'hmed  that  it  was  after  the  time  of  Dunama  Dibalami.* 

Weakened  by  a  civil  war  with  one  or  more  of  his  sons,  who,  having  been 
beaten,  seem  to  have  taken  refuge  with  the  pagans  of  the  tribe  of  Ghammuwa, 
where  Edris  Alawoma  found  their  progeny,  Daud  ben  Nikale  was  driven  out  of 
Njuniye,  the  old  capital,  and  finally  killed  by  'Abd  el  Jelll,  the  Buldla  king. 

'Othman,  son  of  Daud.  Died  at  Nji'miye.  Reigned  4  years :  A.H.  789-792 ; 
A.D.  1387-1390. 

Seems  to  have  waged  the  war  with  the  Bulala  at  first  with  some  success,  and 
even  to  have  retaken  Njimiye,  when  he  likewise  succumbed.  He,  as  well  as  his 
successor,  became  known  to  Makrizi. 

■Qthman,  son  of  Edris  and  Famafa.  Reigned  2  years  :  A. II.  793-794 ;  A.D. 
1391-1392. 

Sustained  the  struggle  for  two  years,  when  he  met  the  same  fate  as  his  uncle 
and  his  cousin.  During  this  time  there  was  a  prince  in  Plausa,  or  Afumi,  called 
Mastiir,  in  a  certain  degree  of  dependency  on  Kanem.  (Makr.'zi.) 

A'bu  Bakr  Liyatu,  son  of  Daud.    Died  at  Shefiyari,  in  Kanem.    Reigned  9 
months :  A.H.  795  ;  A.D.  1392. 
Was  killed  by  the  Bulala,  after  a  reign  of  a  few  months. 

Omar,  son  of  Edris.  Died  at  Demaghiya  (not,  as  it  seems,  Maghi'ya).  Reigned 
5  years:  A.H.  79G-800;  A.D.  1394-1398. 


*  P.  77  of  my  M??.  copy. 


CHRONOLOGIC^VL  TABLE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  BO'KNU.  587 


This  prince  was  at  length  so  hardly  pressed  by  the  Bulala  that  he  finally,  with 
the  consent  of  his  'ulama,  gave  up  Kanem  entirely,  transferring  his  residence  to 
Kagha,  a  district  of  some  forty  miles  in  extent,  between  Uje  and  Gujeba,  notori- 
ous in  Bornu  as  the  refuge  of  every  defeated  party  during  the  civil  wars,  where 
they  went  to  recruit  their  strength.  And  though,  in  the  course  of  time,  Bornu 
recovered  from  intestine  trouJ)les,  and  flourished  once  more  under  mighty  princes, 
who  even  vanquished  the  Bulala,  none  of  them  ever  returned  to  Kanem  in  order 
to  fix  his  residence  there. 

S'ai'd.    Died  at  Dekaklya.    Reigned  1  year :  A.H.  801 ;  A.D.  1398-9. 

A  usurper,  as  it  would  seem ;  for  the  chronicle  does  not  give  him  the  usual 
title  of  sultan,  but  calls  him  merely  "melek,"  and  does  not  name  his  father. 
Nevertheless,  he  must  be  reckoned  in  the  list  of  the  Bornu  kings.  The  Bulala, 
not  content  with  having  wrested  Kanem  from  the  hands  of  their  enemies,  followed 
them  into  their  new  retreat,  and  vanquished  and  killed  S'afd  near  Dekaki'ya. 

Kade  A'ftjnu,  son  of  Edris.  Died  at  Ghadhuru  (?)  (not  Ghumuzu).  Reigned  1 
year :  A.H.  802  ;  A.D.  1399-UOO. 
Fell  likewise  in  the  war  with  the  Bulala  in  the  course  of  a  year,  having,  as  it 
would  seem,  resumed  the  offensive.  "Why  the  surname  "A'fno"  or  "A'funu" 
was  given  to  him  is  not  clear;  perhaps  from  his  mother  being  of  A'fno  (Hausn) 
origin. 

Bi'ri,  son  of  Edrls.  Died  at  Kanantd  (in  Bagharmi  ?).  Reigned  33  years :  A.H. 
803-835;  A.D.  l-iOO-1432. 
A  long  reign,  after  several  short  and  unfortunate  ones ;  but  the  only  fact  with 
regard  to  it  of  which  we  are  informed,  namely,  a  civil  war  between  the  king  and 
the  keghamma  or  seraskier,  Mohammed  ben  Diltu,  is  not  of  a  kind  to  give  an 
idea  of  repose  and  happiness.  The  ensuing  period  of  the  history  of  Bornu  may 
be  called  a  period  of  cinl  war  and  of  the  greatest  distress. 

'Otioivn  Kalnama,  Gon  of  Daiid.  Died  at  A'funu,  Kano.*  Reigned  9  months  : 
A.H.  83G  ;  A.D.  1432. 
Succumbed,  after  a  short  reign  of  a  few  months,  to  the  party  of  the  keghamma 
Nikale  ben  Ibrahim  and  the  yen'ma  Kade  ;  and,  deprived  of  his  throne,  he  appears 
to  have  been  obliged  to  seek  refuge  in  the  A'fno  (Hausa)  province  of  Kano,  where 
he  died,  or  more  probably  was  killed. 

DuNAMA,  son  of  'Omar.    Died  at  Nanigham.    Reigned  2  years :  A.H.  836-838  ; 
A.D.  1433-4. 

Was  murdered  after  a  short  reign. 
Abd  Allah  or  Dala,  son  of  'Omar,  with  the  surname  Dakumiini.    Died  at 
Famelfa.    Reigned  8  years  :  A.H.  838-846;  A.D.  1435-1442. 

Was  embroiled  in  a  civil  war  with  the  keghamma  'Abd  Allah  Dighelma,  who 
even  dethroned  him,  and  made  I'brahim,  the  son  of  'Othman,  king,  but,  on  the 
death  of  the  latter,  restored  him  to  the  throne.  The  eight  years  attributed  to 
his  reign  by  the  negligently-written  chronicle  seem  to  comprise  the  two  periods 
of  his  reign  before  and  after  I'brahun ;  or  it  must  be  understood  that  rbrahim 
placed  'Abd  Allah  again  upon  the  throne  after  the  death  of  keghamma. 

•  The  name  is  clearly  written  in  my  MS. ;  and  there  is  not  the  least  doubt  that  K:ui6  is  meani. 
lUau,  I.  c.y  reads  Kuttu. 


588 


APPENDIX. 


rBRAHiM,  son  of  'Othmdn.  Died  at  Zamtam,  one  day  N.  from  Ghambaru. 
Reigned  8  years:  A.H.  846-854;  A.D.  1442-1450.  ' 
Seems  to  have  excited  the  discontent  of  his  subjects  by  neither  keeping  a 
regular  court  nor  showing  himself  to  his  people.  After  a  reign  of  eight  years  he 
was  murdered  by  Kade  (his  brother  ?).  Though  this  is  the  only  king  of  the  name 
of  Ibrahim  in  the  list  of  Bornu  kings  of  the  end  of  .the  15th  or  the  beginning  of 
the  16th  century,  it  is  evident  that  he  could  not  have  been  a  contemporary  of 
Leo  Africanus,  and  that  the  latter  erred,  from  lapse  of  memory,  in  the  account 
of  Africa  which  he  composed  several  years  after  his  visit  to  those  countries,  in 
calling  the  king  who  reigned  over  Bornu  during  the  time  of  his  visit  I'brahim. 

Kade,  son  of  'Othman.    Died  at  Amara  or  Amaza.    Reigned  1  year :  A.H. 
854-5 ;  A.D.  1450-1. 
Succumbed,  after  a  short  reign,  to  a  rival,  Dunama,  son  of  BIri. 

DuNAMA,  son  of  Biri.    Died  at  Aghakuwah.    Reigned  4  years :  A.H.  855-859  ; 
A.D.  1451-1455. 

MoHAsiMED,  son  of  Matala.    Died  at  Maza.    Reigned  5  months :  A.H.  859 ; 
A.D.  1455. 

Mer  or  Amer,  son  of  'Aaisha,  daughter  of  'Othman.   Died  at  Tarmata.  Reigned 
1  year:  A.H.  860;  A.D.  1456. 

Mohammed,  son  of  Kade.    Died  at  Meghjibad-Neri-Kerbiiri  (?). 

A  very  cruel  and  sanguinary  prince ;  probably  reigned  but  a  very  short  time, 
only  a  few  days. 

Ghaji,  son  of  Amala  or  Imata.    Died  at  Matakla  Ghamer.    Reigned  5  years: 
AH.  861-865;  A.D.  1456-1461. 
Defeated  in  battle,  and  killed  by  Mohammed,  son  of  'Abd  Allah,  the  king  of 
Kanem. 

'Othman,  son  of  Kade.    Died  at  Mikidha.    Reigned  5  years:  A.H.  866-870; 
A.D.  1461-1466. 

Notwithstanding  his  excellent  qualities  as  a  prince,  he  was  dethroned  in  con- 
sequence of  a  civil  war  with  'AH  Ghajideni,  who,  though  he  apparently  had  the 
upper  hand,  by  some  unknown  circumstances,  or  from  some  unknown  reasons 
of  his  own,  to  which  we  have  no  key,  allowed  another  person  to  occupy  the 
throne  that  had  thus  become  vacant. 

'Omar,  son  of  'Abd  Allah.   Died  at  Ghomtalu  (Reka?).   Reigned  1  year:  A.H, 
871-;  A.D.  1466. 

A  despotical  reign,  spent  in  dispute  with  a  more  powerful  and  successful  rival, 
Mohammed  ben  Mohammed,  who,  in  the  course  of  a  year,  gained  the  upper  hand, 
and  probably  killed  'Omar. 

Mohammed,  son  of  Mohammed.   Died  at  Breda.*  Reigned  5  years ;  A.H.  872- 

876;  A.D.  1467-1471. 
A  courageous  and  powerful  prince. 
Ali,  son  of  Dunama,  known  generally  in  Bornu  under  the  name  of  Mai  'All 

Ghajideni.    Died  at  Ghasreggomo.     Reigned  33  years  :  A.H.  877-909  : 

A.D.  1472-1504. 


•••  Thus  tbe  name  is  clearly  written  in  my  copy ;  but  in  another  copy  it  seems  to  be  Berber.! 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  BO'RNU.  589 


A  glorious  reign,  beginning  a  new  epoch  in  the  history  of  Bornu.  First  of  all, 
'All  Ghajideni  made  an  end  of  the  civil  wars  which  had  torn  and  wasted  the 
kingdom  for  so  long  a  period,  having  vanquished  and  killed  his  old  rival  'Othman 
ben  Kade',  whom  he  had  formerly  dethroned,  and  who  began  the  struggle  once 
more.  He  then  restored  the  equilibrium  between  the  dilFerent  officers  of  high 
rank,  the  excessive  power  of  some  of  these  officers,  particularly  that  of  the 
keghamma,*  having  been  the  principal  cause  of  all  those  disturbances;  and  in 
order  to  concentrate  the  government,  he  built  a  large  capital,  Ghasreggomo, 
generally  called  Birni,  the  future  residence  of  the  kings  of  Bornu,  on  the  River 
Wau,  three  days  west  from  the  modern  town  Kukawa ;  for  until  this  period  the 
Bornu  people  lived  only  in  temporary  encampments  in  the  conquered  country, 
although  Nanigham  had  been  the  ordinary  residence  of  the  kings.  It  was  in 
this  king's  reign,  doubtless,  that  Leo  visited  Bornu ;  and  it  is  by  this  author  that 
we  are  informed  of  one  of  the  many  wars  which  the  prince  carried  on,  who,  on 
this  account  alone,  of  all  the  kings  of  Bornu,  seems  to  have  obtained  the  surname 
"  El  Ghazi"— "  the  warrior,"  or  rather  "the  conqueror."  AVangara — that  is,  the 
country  of  the  Eastern  Mandingoes,  about  the  name  and  extent  of  which  we  shall 
not  leave  any  doubt  in  our  further  inquiries — seems,  indeed,  to  be  rather  distant 
from  Bornu,  particularly  if  it  be  taken  into  consideration  that  the  nearest  prov- 
inces were  ill  subjected  ;  but  if  the  Baramuwasa  be  identical,  as  can  scarcely  be 
doubted,  with  the  frontier  river  between  Borgu  and  Yoruba,  Wangara  was  close 
to  the  western  frontier  of  the  tributary  provinces  of  Bornu ;  and  it  is  only  to  be 
attributed  to  the  miserable  character  of  the  chronicle,  and  to  the  general  scanti- 
ness of  our  sources,  that  we  hear  nothing  of  the  several  expeditions  which  the 
Bornu  kings  made  into  the  provinces  of  the  Kwara,  and  of  the  interesting  relation 
which  appears  to  have  existed  between  Bornu  and  some  of  the  Borgu  places,  par- 
ticularly Briisa.  It  is,  moreover,  to  be  taken  into  account  that  Wangara  probably 
extended  at  that  time  more  to  the  east,  and  almost  reached  the  Kwara. 

But  the  Bulala,  the  old  and  inveterate  enemies  of  Bornu,  were  not  yet  humil- 
iated ;  and  it  was  an  inroad  of  the  king  of  that  empire  into  Bornu  which  obliged 
'Ali  Ghajideni  (assuming  him  to  be  identical,  as  he  certainly  is,  with  Leo's  I'brahi'm) 
to  give  up  the  conquest  of  Wangara.  That  the  name  of  this  king  of  the  Bulala 
was  'Omar,  as  Leo  says,  we  have  strong  reasons  to  doubt,  and  think  it  another 
lapse  of  memory.  It  was  probably  Selma,  or  'Abd  el  Jelll,  the  father  of  the  prince 
whom  Edn's,  'All's  son  and  successor,  vanquished.  The  name  'Omar  seems  not 
to  occur  at  all  in  the  dynasty  of  the  Bulala. 

But  we  have  another  account,  which  gives  us  a  glance  into  the  warlike  career 
of  'AH  Ghajideni,  and  informs  us  of  one  of  his  expeditions  into  the  far  west. 
For  this  account  we  are  indebted  to  Sultan  Bello,  who  relates  in  his  "Enfak  el 
misuri  fi  fatha  belad  el  Tekniri"!  that  Kanta,  whose  age  as  a  contemporary  of 
'All  ben  Dunama  is  fixed  by  the  fact  that  he  lived  in  the  time  of  Haj  Mohammed 
A'skia,  "having  oppressed  the  inhabitants  of  the  provinces  conquered  by  him," 
Sultan  '"All  Alij,"  as  he  is  called  in  the  translation,  marched  from  Bornu  against 

*  "What  an  immense  power  this  officer  must  at  one  time  have  enjoyed  is  amply  and  clearly 
illustrated  by  the  fact  that  his  sons  were  entitled  princes  ("mai-na"),  and  his  daughters  prin- 
cesses ("mai-ram"),  like  the  children  of  the  sultan,  the  difference  of  rank  being  only  expressed 
by  adding  the  word  "keghamma-ram." 

t  Denhara  and  Clapperton's  Narrative,  Appendix,  vol.  ii.,  p,  164. 


590 


APPENDIX. 


him,  and  beat  him  near  Surame,  his  capital  (see  vol.  iii.),  on  the  'Aid  el  keblr ; 
but,  not  being  able  to  reduce  this  strong  place,  Ali  was  obliged  to  retire,  when 
Kanta,  having  collected  a  large  army,  followed  him  till  he  reached  Onghoor 
(most  probably  Ngaru),  "where  they  met  and  fought  together,  and  Kanta  won 
the  battle,"  without,  however,  being  able  to  follow  up  his  victory.  This  war  must 
fall  about  the  very  end  of  the  reign  of  Ah'  Ghajideni. 

The  glory  of  this  reign  makes  it  intelligible  how  Bornu  or  Bernu  appears  in 
Portuguese  maps  as  early  as  the  year  14:89. 

Edris,  son  of  All  and  'Aaisha,  with  the  surname  of  Katarkamabi.  Died  at 
Walama.  Reigned  23  years  :  A.H.  910-932  ;  A.D.  1504-1526. 
The  worthy  son  and  successor  of  AH,  who  accomplished  what  remained  neces- 
sary for  the  gi'eatness  and  the  peace  of  the  Bornu  empire,  viz.,  the  humiliation 
and  subjection  of  the  Bulala.  A  short  time,  therefore,  after  he  had  ascended 
the  throne,  he  went  with  a  strong  army  to  Kanem,  beat  the  Bulala  prince  Diinama, 
son  of  Abd  el  Jeh'l  or  Selma,  at  Gharni  Kiyala,  and  entered  Nji'miye,  the  old 
capital  of  the  empire  of  Kanem  and  Bornu,  122  years  after  King  Daud  had  aban- 
doned it  (see  above,  p.  17).  Ha^dng  then  heard,  on  his  return  to  Bornu,  that 
A'dim,  another  son  of  'Abd  el  Jeh'l,  had  usurped  the  throne  after  his  brother's 
death,  he  returned  once  more,  vanquished  A'dim,  and  established  for  a  long 
period  the  dependency  of  Kanem  upon  Bornu.  (Imam  A'hmed.)  It  could  only 
have  been  Edris,  and  not  Musa — a  name  which  does  not  at  all  occur  in  the  list 
of  the  kings  of  Bornu — who  sent  an  embassy  to  Tripoli  in  the  year  1512,*  a  cir- 
cumstance which  clearly  shows  the  elevated  political  views  of  that  king.  Of  the 
other  achievements  of  his  brilliant  career  we  are  unfortunately  deprived  by  the 
loss  or  concealment  of  the  contemporaneous  account  of  his  reign  by  the  fakih 
Masfarma  'Omar  ben  'Othraan,  though  I  still  entertain  hopes  that  the  work  may 
some  day  or  other  come  to  light. 

Mohammed,  son  of  Edris  and  Zmeb.  Died  at  Ghasreggomo.  Reigned  19  years : 
A.H. 933-951 ;  A.D.  1526-1545. 
A  very  powerful  and  mighty  king,  successful  in  all  directions.  He  vanquished 
and  killed  Kade,  the  son  of  'Abd  el  Jelil  and  Lifya,  who,  only  forty  days  after 
Mohammed  had  ascended  the  throne,  came  to  attack  him  at  Natha;  and,  in 
consequence  of  this  victory,  kept  Kanem  in  a  state  of  strict  obedience.  His 
reign  is  very  important  to  us,  because  he  is  one  of  the  Kings  of  Bornu  of  whose 
conquests  and  activity  toward  the  west  we  have  obtained  some  positive  account ; 
for,  as  we  learn  from  the  Christian  captive  in  Tripoli,!  Mohammed  fought  a  great 
and  celebrated  battle  with  the  King  of  Kebbi — probably  Tomo,  of  the  dynasty  of 
the  Kanta,  who  founded  Birni-n-Kebbi.  The  "  captive,"  unfortunately,  does  not 
state  what  was  the  issue  of  the  battle ;  but,  although  we  can  not  agree  with  Mr. 
Blau,  who  interprets  the  words  of  our  chronicle,  "gareb  hu  ila  hedud  el  Kabara 
bememlekettihi,"J  as  if  Mohammed  had  extended  his  empire  as  far  as  Kabara, 

•  Bulletin  de  la  Soc.  Geogr.  Paris,  1849,  p.  252.  t  Ibid. 

t  The  words  mean  evidently  nothing  else  than  that  under  him  the  empire  of  Bornu  reached 

its  highest  pitch  of  greatness.   The  name  of  the  town  of  Kabara  is  written  Hol^j  and  was 


never  a  town  of  great  importance ;  indeed,  it  is  absurd  to  suppose  that  the  name  of  a  small 
harbor  should  have  been  mentioned  here  in  preference  to  that  of  the  capital,  Gagho  or  Gogo.  or 
at  least  Timbuktu. 


CimOXOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  BO'RNU.  591 


the  harbor  of  Timbuktu,  we  must  conchide  that  he  was  victorious.  Finally,  to 
speak  of  the  little  we  know,  it  must  have  been  he  who  sent  the  embassy  to  Tripoli 
in  the  year  1534,  if  the  date  be  correct. 

There  is  certainly,  in  the  passage  of  our  chronicle  which  relates  to  the  reign  of 
this  king,  some  degree  of  confusion ;  and  it  is  very  unfortunate  that,  after  having 
aspired  to  a  little  more  completeness,  it  just  becomes  exceedingly  brief  and  dry 
in  the  most  interesting  part  of  the  history  of  the  Bornu  kingdom.  The  confused 
passage  has  been  taken  into  account  in  a  preceding  comment ;  and  we  are  not 
able  at  present  to  explain  why  this  energetic  prince,  who  waged  war  on  the 
opposite  borders  of  his  extensive  empire,  at  immense  distances  from  each  other, 
can  be  said  to  have  resided  "nineteen  [years]  in  Lade."  But  the  fact  may  simply 
have  been  that  he  did  not  like  to  reside  in  the  large  capital  or  birni,  Ghasreggomo, 
but  preferred  dwelling  in  a  small  neighboring  town  ;  or  perhaps  it  was  one  of  the 
objects  of  his  ambition  to  transfer  the  seat  of  government  from  the  place  chosen 
by  his  predecessors  to  some  new  place  of  his  own  choice.  Even  at  the  present 
day  there  is  a  place  of  the  name  of  Lade  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ghambaru ;  and 
another  one  is  mentioned  by  Imam  A'hmed  at  four  short  days'  journey  on  the 
road  to  Kanem. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  "the  kingdom  of  Bornu  reached  under  Mohammed  the 
highest  pitch  of  its  greatness."  I  here,  therefore,  add  a  list  of  the  twelve  great 
offices  or  alam  which  constituted  the  chief  machinery  of  the  empire,  and  which 
are  already  indicated  by  Makrizi*  in  the  words  "  and  they  have  tAvelve  princes." 
Imam  A'hmed  calls  these  high  officers  generally  "  el  akaber  el  a'alam,"  or  "  erbab 
e'  diileh,"  or  "  el  omra."  They  are  all  mentioned  by  him  except  the  ghaladima, 
the  fuguma,  and  the  kaghustemma  : 

Kayghdinma  or  Keghdvima,  corresponding  to  the  seraskier  (or  commander-in- 
chief)  of  the  Turkish  empire,  and  possessing  very  great  power. 

Yerima  or  Htrima{hoth  forms  occur  indiscriminately  in  Imam  A'hmed's history), 
the  governor  of  Yeri  or  "tsidi  Yerlbe,"  the  district  between  Birni  Ghasreggomo 
and  ]Muniy6,t  the  inhabitants  of  which  are  called  by  Imam  A'hmed  "ahel  e' 
shemal." 

Ghaladima,  the  governor  of  the  Gh^ladi,  a  province  comprising  the  western 
countries  from  Ngaru  as  far  as  the  Kwdra  (called,  by  the  Kaniiri,  Kwalla). 

Chiroma  (generally  written  by  Imam  A'hmed  Thiroma  or  Shiroma),  the  heir 
apparent,  son  or  brother  of  the  king. 

Fuguma,  the  governor  in  the  interior  of  Ghasreggomo,  with  power  over  life 
and  death. 

Bdgharvna,  sometimes  mentioned  as  an  officer  of  some  importance,  who,  in 
the  time  of  the  civil  wars,  often  raised  his  ambition  even  to  the  throne ;  but  I 
have  not  been  able  to  make  out  what  the  department  or  province  called  bagliari 
really  was.    It  has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  Bagi'rmi. 

Smielma.  This  title  seems  to  belong  originally  to  some  department  connected 
with  the  government  of  Kanem,  but  what  were  the  duties  of  its  office  I  can  not 
say.  The  title  is  still  common  in  Bornu,  and  will  frequently  occur  in  my  naiTa- 
tive,  though  at  present  it  is  of  little  importance. 

Kdsabna  or  Kdjelma,  governor  of  the  eastern  provinces  x>f  Kanem. 

*  Hamaker,  p.  206. 

t  After  this  country,  also,  the  wool-bearing  sheep  of  Bornu  are  called  "dimi  yeriram." 


592 


APPENDIX. 


KaghisUmma,  governor  of  Kaghusti,  one  of  the  western  districts  of  Kanem. 
(See  App.  III.) 

Arjinoma.  His  province  is  not  exactly  kno\\Ti  to  me,  except  that  it  appears 
from  Imam  A'hmed  that  he  belonged  to  the  governors  of  the  northern  provinces 
of  the  empire,  "el  omra  e'  shemah'ym." 

Mestrcma  or  MeMma,  chief  eunuch  of  the  han'm. 

Yiroma  (not  to  be  confounded  with  the  Yen'ma),  under  the  mestreraa,  but 
nevertheless,  at  least  in  the  time  of  Edris  Alawoma,  an  office  of  importance. 

The  governors  of  large  towns,  such  as  Wiidi,  Dikowa,  etc.,  had  the  title 
"mainta;"  and  there  were  many  smaller  charges,  such  as  "buma,"  probably 
signifying  "a  judge  of  life  and  death,"  from  "bu,"  the  blood.  The  king  had 
forty  lifeguards — in  a  narrower  sense,  men  of  great  authority,  called  "goma," 
twenty  at  his  left  hand  and  twenty  at  his  right. 

I  now  proceed  with  the  list  of  the  succeeding  kings. 

'Ali,  son  of  Edris  and  Zineb.    Died  at  Zamtam.    Reigned  1  year :  A.H.  952  ; 
A.D.  1545. 

A  just  prince,  who  kept  Kanem  in  strict  subjection,  but  whose  reign  was  too 
short  to  be  of  any  importance. 

DuNAMA,  surnamed  Ghamarami,  son  of  Mohammed.  Died  at  Ghasreggomo. 
Eeigned  19  years:  A.H.  953-971 ;  A.D.  1546-1563. 
Vanquished  'Abd  el  Jeli'l,  the  son  of  Kade,  the  King  of  Kanem,  who,  once 
more  assuming  the  olfensive,  had  come  to  attack  him  in  his  own  kingdom  at 
Berberuwa,  where  Dunama  defeated  him,  followed  him  thence  to  Kanem,  and 
beat  him  in  another  battle,  in  which  fell  the  heir  apparent  of  the  throne  of  Kanem, 
and  several  other  great  men  of  the  Bulala.  After  this,  Kanem  once  more  remained 
quiet  and  in  a  state  of  subjection ;  but  the  people  of  that  country,  nevertheless, 
continued  to  make  predatory  incursions  into  Bornu.  The  only  other  fact  which 
we  know  of  his  reign  is  that  he  fortified  Ghasreggomo,  the  capital  or  birni,  built 
by  'All  ben  Dunama.  The  chronicle,  moreover,  states  that  in  his  reign  there  was 
a  great  famine  in  Bomu.  It  must  have  been  he  also  who  concluded  a  treaty  with 
Dragiit,  the  famous  renegade,  in  1555. 

'Abd  Allah  or  Dala,  son  of  Dunama.  Died  at  Kitaba.  Reigned  7  years : 
A.H.  972-978  ;  A.D.  1564-1570. 
Under  him  nothing  very  remarkable  seems  to  have  happened.  After  some 
time,  'Abd  el  Jelil,  king  of  Kanem,  whose  officers  never  ceased  to  make  predatory 
incursions  into  Bornu,  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  'Abd  Allah.  It  is, 
however,  a  fact  of  the  highest  importance  that,  under  the  reign  of  this  Bornu 
king,  we  get  the  first  intimation  of  the  settlements  of  the  Fiilbe,  or,  as  they  are 
called  by  the  Kaniiri,  the  Fellatah  ("kabi'let  el  Felati'ye"),  in  Bornu.*  In  'Abd 
Allah's  reign,  also,  there  is  said  to  have  been  a  great  famine  in  the  land. 

Edris  Amsami,  or,  as  he  is  more  generally  called,  from  Alawo,  his  place  of  burial, 
Alawoma,  son  of  'AH  ben  Edris  ben  'AH  ben  A'hmed  Dunama  ben  'Othman 
ben  el  Haj  Edn's.    Died  at  Alawo.    Reigned  33  years  (not  53) :  A.H.  979- 
1011;  A.D.  1571-1603. 
This  is  certainly  the  most  important  reign  for  us,  as  this  excellent  and  energetic 

*  Imam  A'hmed. 


CimOXOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  BO  RXU.  593 


prince  found  in  his  imam,  Alimed  ben  Fiirtua  (or  ben  Sofiya),  a  trnstAvorthy  and 
able  historian,  whose  work  has  outlived  the  d^'nasty  of  the  Sefuwa,  and  fallen  into 
my  hands.  But,  unfortunately,  it  comprises  only  the  first  twelve  years  of  his  reign, 
so  that  of  tlie  remaining  twenty-one  years,  equally  rich  in  events,  we  know  nothing 
at  all.  The  Imam  A'hmed  wrote  one  part  of  his  work  evidently  in  the  year  of  the 
Hejra  990  or  991,  at  the  end  of  Rejeb,  in  the  capital  Ghasre'ggomo ;  the  other  part, 
which  contains  an  account  of  the  expeditions  to  Kanem,  which  likewise  belong 
to  the  first  years  of  the  long  reign  of  Edn's,  a  little  later. 

Edris  Alawoma  seems  to  have  ascended  the  throne  after  a  short  interregnum, 
during  which  the  reins  of  government  were  held  by  the  queen  mother  or  magira, 
'Aaisha  Kel-eghrarmaram,*  who  appears  to  have  been  a  very  distinguished  woman, 
probably  of  Berber  origin,  realizing  to  the  Kanuri  the  ideal  perfection  of  a  female, 
and  therefore  called  "mai  kamobe."  Probably  it  was  she  who  instilled  into  her 
son  that  harmonious  union  of  warlike  courage  and  vigor  on  the  one  hand,  with 
mildness  and  justice  on  the  other,  which  were  the  characteristic  qualities  of  this 
excellent  prince.  Not  long  after  his  accession  to  the  throne,  he  appears  to  have 
sent,  probably  nnder  the  influence  of  his  mother,  an  embassy  to  Tripoli,  the  secure 
intercourse  with  which  place  was  very  important  for  any  enterprising  prince  of  B6r- 
nu  ;  and  to  this  intercourse  we  evidently  have  to  ascribe  the  very  remarkable  fact 
that  this  king  possessed  already  a  good  many  musketeers,  who  decided  the  issue 
of  the  most  serious  battles.  We  find  also  in  the  imam's  history  an  interesting 
account  of  a  numerous  caravan  arriving  from  the  north  with  a  great  many  Arab 
horses  for  sale.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  French  prisoner  in  Tripoli  was  mistaken 
in  ascribing  the  embassy  which,  in  the  year  1578,  amved  in  that  place  to  'Abd 
Allah  instead  of  to  the  new  prince,  who  had  only  a  few  years  previously  ascended 
the  throne,  and  was  not  yet  known  on  the  coast. 

"With  regard  to  the  interior  aflfairs  of  the  kingdom,  the  principal  object  of  Edris 
Alawoma  seems  to  have  been  to  subdue  entirely,  or  even  to  exterminate,  if  pos- 
sible, those  heterogeneous  elements  of  which  the  kingdom  had  been  formed,  and 
which  had  been  allowed  by  his  predecessors  (intent  on  the  superficial  advantages 
of  distant  conquests)  to  undermine  the  very  strength  of  the  empire.  He  therefore 
seems  to  have  turned  his  attention  immediately  to  the  So  or  Soy,  who,  though 
evidently  greatly  reduced  from  their  former  predominance  and  power,  yet  still 
possessed  many  extensive  districts  and  numerous  strongholds  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  the  principal  settlements  of  the  Bornu  people,  against  whom 
they  not  only  successfully  vindicated  their  independence,  but  even  continually 
harassed  them  by  inroads.  He  therefore  first  attacked  that  division  of  this  great 
tribe  which  inhabited  the  fertile  districts  on  the  river  (Komadugu  Waube),  and 
was  called  Ghaffate  (Xgaufate  ?),  with  several  subdivisions,  among  which  we  find 
the  names  of  the  Ghidama  and  the  Dughuti.  In  order  to  conquer  their  extensive 
and  strong  capital,  Damasak,  he  built  at  some  distance  from  it  a  large  and  forti- 
fied camp,  where  he  placed  a  great  part  of  his  army,  and  further  north  another 
smaller  one.  Having  harassed  the  enemy  for  some  time  by  daily  attacks  from 
these  places,  cutting  down  their  com  and  their  trees,  he  at  length  undertook  to 
besiege  the  place ;  and  having  succeeded  in  taking  it,  he  killed  or  carried  away 
its  inhabitants,  after  which  the  smaller  places  around  shared  the  same  fate.  The 
rest  of  the  people  of  Dughuti  fled  to  Kanem.  He  then  attacked  another  large 
•  The  name  Kel-eghrarmar  seems  to  indicate  Berber  origin. 

YOL.  II.— P  P 


594 


APPENDIX. 


and  stronjr  pagan  fortress  called  A'msaka  or  A'masak,  situated  between  Gamerghu 
and  Miindara,  and  succeeded  in  taking  it  chiefly  by  means  of  his  muskets.  He  then 
proceeded  a;zainst  the  tribe  of  the  Gamerghu,  who  had  been  left  undisturbed  by 
ail  the  preceding  kings,  and  took  several  of  their  towns. 

Having  in  this  way  strengthened  the  loose  structure  of  his  empire  toward  the 
east,  he  turned  westward  against  Kano,*  a  name  Avhich  by  the  historian  is  evi- 
dently used  only  to  denote  the  whole  province,  and  not  a  single  town.  Indeed, 
from  what  he  says  about  Dala,  it  is  evident  that  there  was  no  large  ton-n  named 
Kano  at  that  time.  The  king  succeeded  in  destroying  all  the  strongholds  of  the 
province,  which  our  author  expressly  states  the  Kanawa  had  then  first  built,  viz., 
Kadra,  Kelmasana  (this  seems  a  Berber  name),  Majiya,  Ukluya,  Duliiwo,  Auzaki, 
Ajiyaj.ya,  Sa'aya,  Ghalaki,  Kayi,  and  others;  but  as  for  Dala,t  the  strongest  of 
these  "  shoki'ya"  or  stockades,  he  was  unable  to  take  it.  This  Dala  was  evidently 
the  village  built  at  the  foot  of  the  rocky  mount  of  the  same  name,  which  at  present 
forms,  for  the  most  part,  the  quarter  of  the  Arabs  in  the  town  of  Kano.  After 
Edr's  had  humiliated  and  weakened  in  this  way  the  inhabitants  of  Kano,  the  people 
of  Bornu  continually  made  predatory  expeditions  against  them. 

From  this  circumstance  we  are  enabled  to  judge  of  the  state  of  affairs  in  these 
loosely  aggregated  empires  ;  for  Kano  had  certainly  been  long  before  this  period 
a  province  of  Bornu. 

Edrls  Alawoma  then  directed  his  efforts  toward  the  northwest,  and  undertook 
three  expeditions  against  the  Tawarek  (Imoshagh)  or  Berbers,  whom  he  reduced 
to  obedience.  The  first  of  these  expeditions  was  called  the  ken'gu  or  ghazzia  of 
Siktala  or  Biiti'rsa ;  the  second  was  named  after  the  tribe  Dinkir  (the  Diggera?), 
settled  only  two  days'  march  from  Kullya,  against  whom  it  was  directed,  or  after 
the  place  Targhlgha.  These  two  expeditions  seem  to  have  been  of  secondary 
importance;  the  third,  however,  was  directed  against  the  Berbers  of  Air,  on  which 
occasion,  starting  from  A't-rebisa,I  and  passing  the  town  Ghamarama,  he  overtook 
a  numerous  host  of  the  inhabitants  of  Ahir  or  Air  in  the  o[)en  desert,  between  the 
town  Tadsa  and  Air,  and  having,  as  the  imam  says,  made  a  great  slaughter  of 
them,  returned  to  Zibduwa,  thence  to  the  town  Susubaki,  and,  having  remained 
there  a  while,  retired  to  Muniy6.§  Already,  at  an  earlier  date  than  these  three 
expeditions  led  by  him  in  person,  his  vizier,  Ktirsuwa  ben  Harun,  had  fought  a 
battle  with  the  Tawarek,  who  had  come  with  a  numerous  host  of  Tildhin  (?)|| 
and  other  people  to  attack  him  at  Aghalwen.  Having  thus  broken  the  strength 
of  those  Berber  tribes,  he  ordered  the  Kil-yiti,  or  rather  Kelwati,^  who  were  liv- 

*  This  name  is  written  in  three  different  ways :  sometimes  iiJ^y  at  others  > 

In  Bornu  also  there  was  a  large  town  of  this  name ;  or  it  seems  rather  that 
Ghasroggomo  was  sometimes  called  by  this  name,  as  will  appear  from  the  following 


(S^  ^^'♦^  •      They  arc  mentioned  also  in 


/ 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  BO'RNU.  595 

ing  in  his  dominions,  to  make  continual  inroads  into  their  territory-,  till  they  were 
obliged  to  sue  for  peace,  when  they  were  allowed  to  return  to  their  former  seats, 
vowing  a  qualified  allegiance  t^the  King  of  Bornu,  while  they  ceased  to  yield 
obedience  to  the  ruler  of  Air.*  It  is  to  be  lamented  that  the  Imam  A'hmed  does 
not  call  the  inhabitants  of  Air  by  the  name  of  their  tribe,  as  it  would  have  been 
a  matter  of  the  greatest  interest  for  us  to  know  what  tribe  of  Berbers  had  posses- 
sion of  the  country  at  the  time.  It  seems  that  the  Kilyiti  or  Kelwdti  are  identical 
with  the  Keleti  or  Jotko,  who,  intermixed  with  Tebu,  are  living  on  the  north  side 
of  the  komadugu,  between  Diichi  and  Yo. 

I  will  here  also  mention  the  interesting  expedition  which  Edn's  Alawoma  under- 
took some  time  previously,  as  it  seems,  against  the  Tebu  or  Teda,  of  the  province 
of  Durku  or  Dirki,  and  of  A'ghramf  (or  Tashi),  when,  after  subjugating  the  whole 
country — a  measure  so  important  for  the  communications  with  the  coast — he  made 
a  long  stay  in  Bilma  or  Bulma.  Here  we  haA-e  an  example  of  a  similar  state  of 
things  to  those  in  Kano ;  for  all  this  country  had  long  before  been  tributary  to 
Bornu,  In  order  to  secure  facility  of  access  to  these  distant  and  inhospitable 
regions,  he  built  large  boats  on  the  komadugu,  and  collected  great  herds  of 
camels. 

Having  thus  secured  his  influence  in  the  far  distant  northern  provinces,  Edris 
again  turned  southward  against  the  rebellious  Marghi  prince  Maghaya,  and  hav- 
ing made  an  inroad  into  Kufshi  or  Kubshi,!  Mitku,  and  Humdi  (these  two  last 
places  being  situated  on  or  at  the  foot  of  a  rock),  and  having  made  captive  a  part 
of  the  prince's  family,  the  latter  came  to  Birni  and  threw  dust  upon  his  head. 
After  this  the  ex-ruler  of  Mandara  (Wandala),  having  come  to  ask  his  assistance 
against  an  uncle  who  had  deprived  him  of  his  throne,  Edris  marched  against 
Karawa,§  then  the  capital  of  Mandara;  but  the  inhabitants  having  retreated  to 
the  summit  of  the  high  mountain  which  is  to  the  west  of  the  town,  he  was  obliged 
to  retrace  his  steps  without  effecting  his  purpose.  However,  the  next  year  he 
returned  better  prepared,  and,  sitting  down  at  the  foot  of  the  rock,  compelled  the 
people  of  Mandara  and  their  chief  to  quit  their  retreat  and  make  their  submission ; 
and  he  then  reinstated  the  rightful  prince. 

After  this  King  Edri's  led  his  victorious  army  against  the  Eastern  Nghizim, 
who  had  first  directed  their  predatory  forays  against  the  Fellata  settled  in  Bornu,|| 
but  had  soon  ceased  to  make  any  distinction  between  foreigners  and  natives,  and 
attacked  all  who  fell  in  their  way.  For  two  years  he  laid  waste  their  fields,  de- 
stroying even  the  plantations  of  cotton  and  sesamum,  while  his  vizier  Kiirsuwa 

another  passage  as  ii^y^S"  liJs^U^  ^^^yjO  2fjCyji  •  and  this  latter  form  of  the  word  is 
probably  the  right  one. 

il  It  is  remarkable  how  closely  this  picture  of  the  great  high  road  of  Negroland  and  its  troubled 
state  resembles  that  drawn  by  Leo,  1.  vii.,  c.  ix.  :  "  E  ciascuno  de'  mercatanti  tiene  gran  quan- 
tita  di  schiavi  per  valersi  delV  ajuto  loro  ne'  passi  da  Cano  a  Borno;  come  da  Zingani  poveiis- 
sima  e  ladra  gente."  "Whether,  under  the  general  name  of  Zingani,  Leo  understood  the  Nghizim, 
I  can  not  say ;  but  that  may  be  the  case. 


596 


APPENDIX. 


ransacked  the  town  Meghuluma  till  he  reduced  the  inhabitants  to  obedience, 
lie  then  without  delay  proceeded  against  the  western  Nghizim,  called  Binawa 
by  Imam  A  hmed.  These  Binawa  infested  all^he  neighboring  provinces  of  the 
emi)ire,  and  wholly  interrupted  the  communication  between  Bornu  and  an  im- 
portant trading-place  in  the  west,  called  by  our  historian  Fagha,  and  probably 
identical  with  the  Ragha  or  Raghay  mentioned  by  E'bn  Batiita,  just  in  the  same 
quarter,  lying  between  Gober — that  is,  the  original  country  of  that  name,  with 
the  capital  Ti'nshaman — and  Bornu.  Having  conquered  all  their  strongholds — 
viz.,  Mciwa,  A'gham,  Bani,  and  Ghujembina* — he  so  terrified  the  people  around 
that  all,  even  those  of  Katagumf  included,  made  their  submission.  The  Nghizim 
are  identical  witli  the  tribe  now  generally  called  Nkizam,  which  is  at  present 
greatly  reduced,  living  in  the  following  places,  all  lying  between  Auyok  and 
Katagum :  Tashina,  U'nik,  Shagato,  Chibiay,  Belangu,  Badda,  Romeri,  Zongolom, 
Melebetiye,  U'man,  and  a  few  more. 

After  all  these  warlike  undertakings,  this  active  prince,  having  rested  for  a 
little  more  than  a  year,  undertook  a  pilgrimage  to  Mekka,  probably  in  the  ninth 
year  of  his  reign.  Having  returned  from  thence,  "  Haj  Edn's,"  as  he  is  now  to 
be  styled,  led  his  army  against  the  Tetala  or  Telala,!  a  warlike  and  high-spirited 
pagan  tribe  settled  in  the  neighborhood  and  on  the  islands  of  the  Tsad  (probably 
identical  with  the  Yedina,  or,  as  they  are  generally  named,  Budduma),  and  whose 
hatred  against  their  oppressors  was  so  intense  that  they  refused  fellowship  at  meals 
to  those  among  themselves  who  had  not  killed  a  Mohammedan.  They  prided 
themselves  chiefly  on  their  white  spears.  This  is  exactly  in  harmony  with  the 
custom  of  the  Budduma.  Edris,  in  order  to  subdue  them,  made  use  of  the  Ka- 
taku  or  K6tok6,§  whom  he  ordered  to  harass  the  enemy  by  continual  incursions 
with  their  boats,  exactly  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Sheikh  of  Bornu  at  the  present 
day,  when  he  wants  to  trouble  the  Budduma,  orders  the  people  of  Mafate  to  make 
an  inroad  against  them.  The  Tetala  retreated  into  the  swampy  grounds  of  the 
Tsad. II  Edn's  then  beat  the  Governor  of  Mafate,^  who  came  to  attack  him  with 
a  number  of  boats,  destroyed  the  town  of  Kansa-Kusku,  as  he  had  also  destroyed 
Saya**  and  Taghalagha,  belonging  to  the  tribe  of  the  Ghama  or  Ngama,  and  other 
places,  and  built  several  fortified  encampments  or  "  sansanne"  in  the  neighbor- 
hood.   The  Makari,tt  who  seem  to  be  identical  with  the  Kotoko,  appear  to  have 

9 

It  is  remarkable  that  this  name,  in  its  latter  part,  closely  resembles  that  of 


Mabina,  the  country  mentioned  by  Makrizi  as  invaded  by  a  B(;rnu  king  (Dunama  Selmami) 
in  the  year  1250.   See  above,  p.  20. 


X  The  name  in  my  MS.  is  sometimes  written  i  at  others 

!  The  name  is  sometimes  written  OLw/  j  sometimes         ^«^-jJf . 

^  ^^^^  v^^Lo  . 

**  A  town  of  the  same  name  on  the  Tsad  is  mentioned,  together  with  Kiiri,  by  Denham,  i.,  p.  192. 
^  ^"^^  •      Makari  and  Kotoko  are  but  different  names  of  the  same  country,  just  as  A'fno 
and  Hausa,  Makari  being  the  name  used  by  the  Kanuri. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  BO'RNU.  597 


offered  him  friendship  or  submission,  with  the  exception  of  the  people  of  Kusuri,* 
whose  governor  he  succeeded  in  taking  prisoner,  and  of  Sabalghutu.  He  then 
proceeded  once  more  against  Mandara,  and  vanquished  that  rebellious  and  stub- 
born nation. 

We  shall  now  notice,  but  briefly,  the  expeditions  of  Edrls  to  Kanem,  which 
likewise  fall  within  the  first  twelve  years  of  his  reign,  but  have  been  described 
separately  by  the  imam.  I  can  dismiss  this  subject  here  in  a  few  words,  as  I  have 
had  occasion  to  make  use  of  the  rich  geographical  materials  contained  in  this 
account  in  the  course  of  my  narrative.  Edn's,  during  the  first  twelve  years  of  his 
reign,  went  five  times  to  Kanem ;  and  he  may  have  gone  there  frequently  again 
in  the  following  years.  We  have  seen  above  that  Kanem,  after  having  been  for 
more  than  a  century  entirely  torn  olf  from  the  empire,  had  been  again  subdued 
by  preceding  Bornu  kings.  Edris  Alawoma,  on  ascending  the  throne  of  Bornu, 
concluded  a  treaty  of  peace  with  'Abd  Allah,  the  ruling  prince  of  Kanem  ;  and, 
what  is  very  remarkable  as  a  commentary  on  the  state  of  civilization  in  these 
countries,  the  conditions  of  this  treaty  were  diplomatically  exhibited  in  two 
written  copies,  nothing  remaining  to  be  settled  but  a  dispute  about  three  })laces, 
viz.,  Kalliya,  'Akuta,  and  Beluji,  which  the  people  of  Bornu  wished  to  obtain. 
But  'Abd  Allah  died  ;  and  his  son  Mohammed,  who  succeeded  him,  was,  after  a 
short  time,  dethroned  by  his  uncle,  'Abd  el  Jelil  ben  'Abd  el  Jelll,  who  broke  off 
the  negotiation  and  refused  allegiance.  In  the  struggle  which  ensued,  Edris  was, 
on  the  whole,  victorious,  although  the  Bornu  army  apparently  sustained  some 
heavy  losses;  Nji'miye,  and  all  the  country  even  further  east,  was  taken  from 
Kanem  ;  but  as  soon  as  Edn's  turned  his  back,  'Abd  el  Jelll,  with  his  light  troops, 
was  again  there,  till  the  Bornu  king  at  last  conferred  the  crown  of  Kanem  again 
upon  JNIohammed,  attaching  to  him  a  strong  party  of  native  chiefs,  chiefly  Arabs. 
However,  he  was  obliged  to  return  once  more  to  thiit  country,  so  difficult  to  man- 
age, Mohammed  having  been  beaten  by  his  restless  adversary.  Subsequently  he 
was  more  successful,  and,  by  a  stipulation,  the  whole  of  Kanem,  as  far  as  Baba- 
liya,  was  attached  to  Bornu.  Of  subsequent  events  we  are  wholly  ignorant,  and 
hear  no  more  of  Kanem  till  a  recent  period.  During  these  expeditions  Edn's 
inflicted  severe  blows  upon  the  Tebu  population  of  Kanem  ;  and  we  have  already 
seen  that,  in  consequence,  a  great  number  of  them  migrated  to  Bornu. 

Of  the  events  of  the  one-and-twenty  years  which  followed  these  first  twelve 
years  of  this  excellent  prince,  we  at  present  know  nothing.  But  I  do  not  doubt 
that  zealous  research  may  hereafter  bring  some  more  documents  to  light.  From 
the  manner  of  Edn's's  death,  it  may  be  concluded  that  he  waged  war  till  his  last 
moment ;  for  he  died,  according  to  tradition,  on  the  battle-field,  being  wounded 
in  his  breast  by  a  hand-bill  or  goliyo,  thrown  at  him  by  a  pagan  concealed  in  a 
tree,  while  waging  war  with  a  tribe  on  the  borders  of  Bagirmi — perhaps  the 
Ghamergii.  We  only  know  for  certain  that  he  was  buried  in  Alawo,  a  place  in 
the  district  of  Uje,  which  I  have  touched  upon  on  my  journey  to  A'damawa. 

But,  notwithstanding  these  continual  wars  in  which  the  Bornu  hero  was  engaged, 
"he  promoted  the  prosperity  of  the  country  and  the  wealth  of  the  towns."  Indeed, 
this  is  the  only  particular  which  the  meagre  chronicle  relates  of  him  besides  men- 


598 


APPENDIX. 


tioning  the  war  with  'Abd  el  Jeh'l ;  and  we  know  from  Imam  A'hmed  that  he  built 
the  mosques  of  chiy  in  Birni  Ghasreggomo,  superseding  those  of  reeds ;  and  it  is 
to  him  j)robably  that  we  must  refer  the  brick  ruins  in  tliat  town  as  well  as  in 
Ghambaru. 

Altogether,  Edrls  Alawoma  appears  to  have  been  an  excellent  prince,  uniting 
in  himself  the  most  opjDOsite  qualities:  warlike  energy,  combined  with  mildness 
and  intelligence ;  courage,  with  circumspection  and  ])atience ;  severity,  with  pious 
feelings.  And  I  hope  my  readers  will  draAv  more  favorable  conclusions  from  this 
example  as  to  the  general  character  of  the  Bornu  kings  than  Denham  did  from 
the  degenerate  shadow  of  his  time,  wlien  he  says*  that  "  a  sultan  of  Bornu  carries 
no  arms,  and  it  is  beneath  his  dignity  to  defend  himself."  Certainly  such  a  man 
as  Edrls  rarely  stands  alone ;  and  we  can  not  refuse  to  join  with  his  name  that 
of  his  first  minister,  the  warlike  and  intelligent  Edris  ben  Hariin,  who  succeeded 
in  that  office  his  elder  brother  Kursuwa,  and  who,  by  his  excellent  arrangements, 
as  well  as  by  his  courage,  guaranteed  the  success  of  many  of  his  master's  under- 
takings. 

Mohammed,  with  the  surname  Bukalmarjlmi,  son  of  Edn's  and  Fanna.    Died  at 
Dekana  (?)t  (perhaps  in  the  territory  of  the  Duggana).    Reigned  16  years 
and  7  months:  A.H.  1011-1027;  A.D.  1602-1618. 
An  excellent  prince,  but  less  warlike  and  enterprising,  as  it  would  seem,  than 

his  father,  whose  vigor  was  no  longer  necessary,  the  empire  being  well  established. 

Ibkahi'm,  son  of  Edris  and  Ghumsu.    Died  at  Ghasreggomo.    Reigned  7  years 

and  7  months:  A.H.  1027-1035;  A.D.  1618-1625. 
Sent  an  embassy  to  Tripoli  in  the  year  1627. 
Haj  'Omar,  son  of  Edris  and  Fishama.    Died  at  Ghasreggomo.    Reigned  19 

years  and  9  months:  A.H.  1036-1055;  A.D.  1625-1645. 
Made  the  pilgrimage  to  Mekka  in  the  year  1642,  having  ascended  the  throne, 
according  to  the  French  document,  in  the  year  1634  (1624?). 
'Ali  ben  el  Haj  'Omar.   Died  at  Ghasreggomo.   Reigned  40  years :  A.H.  1055- 

1095;  A.D.  1645-1684. 
A  valiant  and  intelligent  man,  who  thrice  made  the  pilgrimage  to  IMekka,  viz., 
in  the  years  1648,  1656,  and  1667 ;  when  returning  on  the  last  occasion  from  his 
distant  journey,  he  had  to  extinguish  a  revolution.  He  waged  several  wars  with 
the  Sultan  of  Air,  residing  in  A'gades,  and  was  once  besieged  in  his  capital  at  the 
same  time  by  the  Tawarek  and  by  the  Koana  or  Kwona,  a  division  of  the  Koro- 
rofa,  who  had  long  been  subjected  to  Bornu,  when  he  managed  to  set  the  latter 
against  the  former,  and  then  destroyed  them  also.  It  seems  that  in  his  reign  the 
country  was  afflicted  by  several  long  famines,  which  distressed  the  inhabitants 
greatly,  and  which  can  scarcely  be  explained  but  by  supposing  an  unsettled  state 
of  the  country,  which  did  not  allow  the  people  to  cultivate  the  ground. 

Edris  ben  'AH.    Reigned  20  years  :  A.H.  1096-1 115  ;  A.D.  1685-1704. 

This  is  the  king  who  has  been  omitted  by  mistake  in  the  chronicle. 
Dunama  ben  'AH.    Died  at  Ghasreggomo.    Reigned  19  years  :  A.H.  1 1 15-1134 ; 
A.D.  1704-1722. 

Another  long  famine  of  seven  years  is  mentioned  by  the  chronicle. 

*  Denham,  vol.  i.,  p.  32T.  ^ 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  BO  RNU.  599 


Haj  Hamdl'N  ben  Diinama.    Died  at  Ghasreggomo.    Reigned  14  years :  A.H. 
1135-1148;  A.D.  1723-1736. 
A  pious  and  indolent  king,  who  appears  to  have  made  a  pilgrimage. 

Mohammed,  with  the  surname  Erghamma,  son  of  El  Haj  Hamdun.  Died  at 
Ghasreggomo.  Reigned  16  years:  A.H.  1149-1164;  A.D.  1737-1751. 
Of  his  reign  likewise  we  know  nothing  but  of  a  famine  which  lasted  two  years. 
These  princes,  indeed,  seem  in  general  to  have  seldom  left  their  favorite  residence, 
where  they  indulged  in  luxury  and  ostentation,  while  the  kingdom  was  falling  to 
pieces,  and  became  unable  to  resist  any  shock  which  might  come  from  without. 

DuNA^iA,  with  the  surname  Ghana,  "the  little,"  the  young  son  of  Mohammed. 
Died  at  Ghasreggomo.  Reigned  2  years  and  7  months:  A.H.  1105-1168; 
A.D.  1752-1755. 

The  chronicle  mentions,  under  his  short  reign,  a  very  severe  famine. 

'Ali  ben  el  H5j  Diinama.    Reigned  40  years:  A.H.  1168-1207;  A.D.  1755-1793. 

Is  greatly  praised  by  the  chronicle  as  a  most  excellent  prince ;  but  it  is  evident 
that  he  was  such  only  from  a  monkish  point  of  view.  He  seems,  however,  to  have 
excelled  in  a  peculiar  kind  of  energy,  being  mentioned  by  Lucas  as  the  father  of 
three  hundred  male  children.*  I  can  not  say  with  absolute  certainty  whether  it 
was  he  who  made  a  most  unfortunate  expedition  against  Mandara,  to  the  ill  suc- 
cess of  which  most  of  the  intelligent  Bornu  people  attribute  the  weakness  of  ihe 
empire  under  the  following  reign,  when  it  was  attacked  by  the  fanatic  troops  of 
the  Fellata,  the  best  part  of  the  army  having  been  slain  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Mandara.    'All  seems  also  to  have  made  several  expeditions  against  the  Bcdde. 

A'hmed  ben  'Ali.  Died  at  Ghasreggomo.  Reigned  17 years:  A.II.  1208-1225; 
A.D.  1793-1810. 

*'  A  learned  prince,  liberal  toward  the  'ulama ;  a  prodigal  dispenser  of  alms, 
a  friend  of  science  and  religion,  gracious  and  compassionate  toward  the  poor." 
So  says  the  chronicle.  However  well  deserved  this  praise  may  be,  certainly  A'h- 
med was  not  the  man  to  save  the  kingdom  from  the  dangers  which  surrounded  it. 

But,  although  the  empire  was  already  prepared  for  ruin,  there  supervened  a 
powerful  cause  of  weakness ;  for  under  A'hmed  a  very  severe  pestilence  visited 
Bornu,  carrying  off  a  great  number  of  people.  This  plague  is  said  to  have  been 
announced  by  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  which  preceded  it  by  two  years. 

About  1808  began  the  inroads  of  the  Fiilbe  or  Fellata,  who  had  conquered 
successfully  the  ancient  Hausa  kingdoms,  which,  till  then,  had  been  in  a  sort  of 
tributary  dependence  upon  Bornu.  The  consequence  was  that  their  countrymen, 
settled  in  Bornu  from  ancient  times,  as  we  have  seen,  being  harassed  by  perse- 
cution, collected  together  in.  Giijeba,  and  from  that  point  began  their  conquests, 
vanquishing  all  the  officers  whom  A'hmed  sent  against  them ;  they  then  marched 
against  Ghasreggomo,  led  on  by  Mala  Rida,  Mukhtar,  and  Hanm'ma,  defeated  the 
army  of  the  sultan,  who  escaped  by  the  eastern  gate  while  they  entered  the  town 
from  the  west  side.  A'hmed  then  went  to  reside  in  Kurnawa.  This  happened 
in  the  year  of  the  Hejra  1224,  or  1809  of  our  era,  on  a  Sunday,  but  I  can  not 
say  in  what  month.  From  that  place  the  distressed  king  sent  a  message  to  the 
faki  Mohammed  el  Amin  el  Kanemi,  who,  on  account  of  his  man-iage  with  the 

*  Lucas,  Procee /lings  of  the  African  AsEociation,  vol.  i.,  p.  2.7. 


600 


APPENDIX. 


daughter  of  the  Governor  of  Ngala,  had  begun  to  oppose  himself  to  the  progress 
of  the  conquerors ;  for,  having  begged  his  father-in-law  to  allow  him  to  take  his 
wife  and  daughter  with  him  to  Fezzan,  the  latter  refused,  so  that  the  faki,  together 
witli  his  friends,  Mohammed  Tirab  and  Ibrahim  Waday,  collected  in  Binder,  on 
the  Avest  border  of  the  Tsad,  a  small  force,  said  to  have  consisted  of  five  horsemen 
and  two  hundred  spearmen,  with  whom  he  successfully  attacked  the  Fiilbe,  who 
were  disposed  to  laugh  at  his  threats.  Having  collected  more  adventurers  and 
patriotic  men  round  him,  he  then  vanquished  the  whole  force  of  the  conquerors 
in  a  battle  near  Ngornu,  when  he  is  said  to  have  had  under  his  command  two 
hundred  men  on  horseback  and  two  thousand  on  foot.  Having  thus  liberated 
the  whole  eastern  part  of  Bornu,  he  sat  down  quietly,  when  A'hmed  sent  for  him. 
Assisted  by  the  inspiring  fanaticism  of  the  faki,  and  by  the  courage  and  valor  of 
his  Kanembu  spearmen,  A'hmed  was  enabled  to  re-enter  his  capital,  but  soon  after 
died,*  in  the  beginning,  as  it  seems,  of  A.H.  1225. 

DuNAMA,  son  of  A'hmed,  and  Mohammed  el  Amin  el  Kaxemi.  Died  at  Ngala. 
Reigned  8  years:  A.H.  1225-1233;  A.D.  1810-1817,  1818. 

Dunama  followed  his  father,  who  had  already,  in  his  lifetime,  chosen  him  for 
his  successor,  and  for  a  short  time  waged  successful  Avar  against  the  enemy,  till 
he  too  was  driven  out  of  his  capital  by  the  Fiilbe  of  Katagum,  as  it  seems,  in  the 
end  of  1226  or  beginning  of  1227.  He  then  went  wandering  about  in  his  own 
kingdom,  changing  his  residence  every  few  months,  first  residing  in  Maje,  near 
Fatoghana  (the  ancient  Damasak),  then  in  a  place  called  Asegga,  then  near 
Mungono,  then  in  Berbermva,  till  he  placed  himself  under  the  protection  of  the 
powerful  faki,  Avho  alone  had  proved  himself  capable  of  resisting  the  victorious 
impulse  which  attended  the  march  of  the  Fellata.  Indeed,  a  covenant  Avas  then 
made,  assigning  half  of  the  revenue  of  the  liberated  provinces  to  Mohammed  el 
Amm.  The  faki  noAV  resided  in  the  large  town  of  Ngornu  ("the  blessing"), 
Avhere  he  seems  to  have  found  zealous  support  from  the  many  Tebu  residing 
there,  Avhile  the  sultan  held  his  court  in  some  other  place. 

But  matters  could  not  long  remain  in  this  state  ;  the  population  Avere  not  able 
to  serA'e  tA\'o  masters,  but  they  Avere  obliged  to  decide  for  the  one  or  the  other. 
"VYhen,  tliercfore,  the  people  all  flocked  to  the  man  Avho  had  liberated  them  from 
a  foreign  yoke,  the  old  party  excited  the  sultan's  jealousy,  and  instigated  him  to 
rid  himself  of  his  troublesome  rival.  Mohammed  el  Ami'n's  authority,  however, 
Avas  so  Avell  established  in  the  good-Avill  of  the  people,  that,  on  being  cited  before 
the  sultan,  he  Avas  able  to  appear  before  him  unattended,  Avhile  the  latter  dared 
not  hurt  him.  The  consequence  Avas  that  the  faki's,  or,  rather,  the  sheikh's 
(shekho — for  this  title  he  now  began  to  adopt)  influence  increased  every  day, 
and  Dunama,  Avith  his  party,  made  a  last  effort  to  release  himself  from  that 
influence,  and  to  preserve  the  royal  dignity.  Indeed,  he  might  hope  that,  if  he 
succeeded  in  establishing  his  court  at  a  certain  distance,  he  might  rally  around 

*  Trom  the  report  given  to  Mr.  Koelle  by  the  Bornu  slave  'Ali  Eisami  (African  Xative  Litera- 
ture, 1S54,  p.  93),  it  would  seem  that  A'hnicd  dit  d  before  entering  Ghasreggomo;  but,  although 
these  narratives  teem  Mith  interest,  tliey  have  no  historical  authority  for  the  time  which  suc- 
ceeded 'All's  capture  in  the  year  1S14-15,  and  even  no  paramount  authority  for  the  preceding 
period.  And  the  other  story,  as  told  in  p.  99,  et  scqq.,  agrees  entirely  with  our  statement.  The 
account  of  the  inroad  of  "VVaday  and  the  death  of  Ibram  (both  which  events  happened  in  the  time 
of  Sheikh  'Otr.ar),  as  given  by  that  Xegro,  is  quite  absurd  and  full  of  confusion. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  BO'RNU.  601 


himself  the  old  partisans  of  royalty ;  but,  before  he  reached  Wiidi,  the  place  he 
had  selected  for  his  residence,  one  of  the  principal  settlements  of  the  Temaghera, 
and  which  had  been  the  abode  of  several  of  the  old  Bornu  kings,  Mohammed  el 
Amln,  who  perceived  that  the  time  was  now  come  when  he  must  decide  whether 
he  was  to  be  subject  or  ruler,  even  though  he  did  not  aspire  to  the  title  of  king, 
had  him  arrested  on  the  road,  and  brought  back  to  Berberuwa.  But,  finding  him 
still  obstinate,  he  deposed  him  altogether,  reproaching  him  with  a  wish  to  betray 
his  country ;  and  then  he  transferred  the  title  and  pomp  of  a  sultan  to  Mohammed, 
a  brother  of  A  hmed,  and  uncle  of  Dunama.  Mohammed  then  began  to  build 
himself  a  new  residence,  which  is  called  by  the  Arabs  Birni  jedid,  two  miles  and 
a  half  northwest  from  Ngornu.  But  when  Mohammed  el  Ami'n  saw  that  this 
man  was  no  less  obstinate  than  Dunama,  he  reinstated  the  latter  again.  So  that 
Mohammed,  having  reigned  but  a  short  time,  and  that  only  by  the  will  of  the 
usurper,  is  not  mentioned  at  all  by  the  chronicle. 

We  may  therefore  reckon  the  commencement  of  the  present  dynasty  of  the 
Kanemiyi'n  from  the  year  1814  of  our  era.  It  is  a  very  remarkable  fact  that  an 
utter  stranger  to  the  country  should  become  its  ruler ;  but  the  struggle  was  not 
yet  at  an  end,  and  could  not  well  be  ended  without  much  bloodf^hed,  as  soon  as 
the  fascinating  personal  influence  of  the  liberator  was  gone  by.  The  sheikh  then, 
having  gone  so  far,  in  order  to  separate  his  position  as  far  as  possible  from  the 
memory  of  the  ancient  times,  founded  likewise  a  new  residence,  which,  from  the 
name  of  the  Adansonia  digiiata,  a  specimen  of  which  stood  on  the  spot  where  he 
wished  to  build  his  house,  received  the  name  of  Kuka,  or  rather  Kiikawa.*  Being 
now  fairly  installed  in  the  government  of  a  vast  but  very  distracted  country,  while 
he  allowed  the  pomp  of  royalty  to  be  borne  by  the  descendant  of  the  Sefuwa,  and 
perhaps  purposely  exaggerated  it  in  order  to  make  it  ridiculous,  he  was  anxious 
at  the  same  time  to  recover  the  lost  provinces,  and  to  defend  the  country  against 
its  southeastern  neighbor,  who,  from  having  been  a  vassal,  had  become  a  dan- 
gerous enemy.  Indeed,  he  had  to  sustain  a  long  and  sanguinary  struggle  with 
Baga-mi,  in  which  he  was  not  always  successful.  He  undertook  at  first  to  reduce 
the  overbearing  and  lawless  Burgomanda,  the  ruler  of  that  province,  to  obedience, 
with  the  assistance  of  'Abd  el  Kerim  Sabiin,  the  powerful  and  intelligent  Prince 
of  Waday ;  but  the  latter  chose  rather  to  consult  his  own  interests,  and  after 
carrying  away  all  the  treasures,  and  even  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Bagirmi, 
he  even  granted  to  Burgomanda  some  sort  of  protection  in  return  for  an  annual 
tribute  to  be  paid  to  Waday,  as  we  shall  see  a  little  farther  on.  At  the  same 
time,  the  intelligent  Sabiin,  whose  predecessor,  Mohammed  Saleh,  by  the  eon- 
quest  of  the  province  of  Fittri,  had  stepped  into  the  place  of  the  pretensions 
raised  by  the  Bulala,  endeavored  to  gain  more  ground  in  Kanem.  Meanwhile 
the  powerful  King  of  Waday  died  (A.D.  1815)  ;  but  even  this  event  did  not  relieve 
the  situation  of  El  Kanemi ;  for,  in  a  sudden  and  unexpected  encounter  of  the 
two  armies  in  Kotoko,  the  eldest  and  most  beloved  son  of  the  sheikh  was  slain  in 
18 IG,  and  in  1817  a  bloody  battle  was  lost  by  him  at  Ngala,  on  which  occasion 
the  titular  sultan  Dunama  was  slain.  Mohammed  el  Kanemi  being  frustrated 
in  this  way,  then  entered  into  a  covenant  with  the  ruler  of  Fezzan  ;  and  a  com- 

*  It  seems  almost  incredible  that,  although  the  members  of  the  late  mission  have  distinctly 
stated  that  Kuka  is  a  new  town,  yet  even  at  the  present  day  this  place  is  identified  by  learned 
men  with  some  ancient  places  having  similar  names. 


G02 


APPENDIX. 


billed  expedition  was  organized  in  the  year  1818,  which  was  altogether  very  suc- 
cessful. The  whole  of  the  northern  part  of  Baglrmi  was  overrun,  the  large  towns 
of  Babaliya  and  Gawi  wei-e  destroyed,  and  the  sheikh  spent  a  day  or  two  in 
Mas-eiia,  the  capital  of  the  country ;  but  no  decisive  blow  could  be  struck,  the 
kiii'jc  with  his  whole  army  having  retired  to  ^Nlankhfa,  and  taken  up  a  very  strong 
position,  defended  by  the  river  and  a  great  number  of  boats. 

Ibrahim.    A.H.  1233-1263;  A.D.  1818-184G. 

Installing  in  the  deceased  sultan's  place  Ibram  or  Ibrahim,  Dunaraa's  brother, 
the  sheikh  continued  the  struggle  with  Bagirmi,  and  on  the  24th  of  March  of  the 
year  1824,  as  we  know  from  the  report  of  Denham's  expedition,  was  so  fortunate 
as  to  gain,  on  the  same  battle-field  of  Ngala,  a  decided  victory  over  his  valiant 
southeastern  neighbor,  which  seems  to  have  set  him  at  once  at  rest.  Having 
thus  obtained  leisure  on  this  side,  and  having  extinguished  a  revolt  of  the  Manga, 
Mohammed  el  Kanemf  seems  to  have  turned  his  attention  westward,  in  order  to 
recover,  if  possible,  some  of  the  provinces  of  the  old  empire  of  Bornu.  At  first 
he  was  very  successful,  and  penetrated  far  into  the  interior  of  the  province  of 
Bauchi ;  but  in  the  year  1826  the  officers  of  Sultan  Bello  beat  his  army,  and  he 
himself  had  a  narrow  escape.  He  seems  to  have  then  concluded  a  peace.  He 
made  also  several  attempts  to  reduce  Kanem  to  a  state  of  obedience,  and  here 
had  to  contend  with  Waday.  Mohammed  el  Kanemi  died  in  1835,*  leaving 
forty-three  sons,  and  having  named  for  his  successor  his  eldest  son  'Omar,  who 
was  to  be  succeeded,  if  he  should  die  early,  by  'Abd  e'  Rahman,  and  then  by 
Yusuf. 

Sheikh  'Omar,  son  of  Mohammed  el  Kanemi.    A.H.  1251 :  A.D.  1835. 

'Omar's  reign  is  remarkable  on  account  of  his  having  made  an  end  of  the 
Sefuwa  altogether.  He  seemed  from  the  first  desirous  of  peace  in  every  direc- 
tion, and  had  the  great  advantage,  in  endeavoring  to  obtain  this  object  from 
Baginni,  that  his  mother  belonged  to  that  country.  Having  also  made  peace 
with  the  Fulbe,  after  an  unsuccessful  expedition  against  them,  he  had  some 
difficulty  in  restraining  the  governors  of  the  western  provinces,  who  are  almost 
independent  vassals,  from  milking  incursions  into  their  territory.  It  was  on  this 
account  that  he  was  obliged,  in  the  beginning  of  1846,  to  send  a  strong  army, 
commanded  by  his  brother,  'Abd  e'  Rahman,  against  Ibram,  the  restless  govern- 
or of  ZInder,  whose  obstinate  disregard  of  the  peace  with  the  Fulbe  proceeded 
to  open  rebellion. 

This  oi)]iortunity,  when  all  the  best  troops  were  about  to  march  to  the  distant 
west,  was  seized  on  by  the  numerous  partisans  of  the  old  dynasty,  to  aim  a  mor- 
tal blow  at  the  house  of  the  sheikh  by  secretly  inviting  the  King  of  Waday,  Mo- 
hammed e'  Shcrif,  to  re-establish  the  Sefuwa  on  the  throne  of  Bornu.  Moham- 
med, listening  to  this  invitation,  collected  his  ai-my,  and  in  Muliid  or  Rebl  el 
awel,  1262,  that  is,  in  March,  1846,  reached  Kusuvi.  The  sheikh  never  heard 
of  his  approach  till  he  was  very  near.  He  at  once  summoned  the  Sultan  Ibram 
from  B.rni,  and,  denouncing  him  as  a  traitor,  placed  him  in  irons ;  he  then 
hastily  collected  what  troops  remained  behind,  having  no  one  with  him  upon 
whom  he  could  rely  except  Tirab,  his  faithful  minister  (the  intimate  friend  of 
his  father),  his  brother  the  valorous  'Ali,  together  with  from  five  to  six  hundred 
*  The  exact  date  of  his  death  I  can  not  find  at  present. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  T^VBLE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  BO'RNU.  603 


Arabs  and  Tebu.  With  this  little  band,  swelled  by  a  crowd  of  faithless  Shuwa, 
he  encamped  on  the  western  bank  of  the  River  of  Logon,  not  far  from  tlie  town 
of  Kiisuri,  while  "Waday  was  encamped  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Shan.  The 
inhabitants  of  Kusuri  locked  the  gates  of  their  town  against  both  armies,  but 
secretly  communicated  Avith  "NVaday  ;  and  when  Mohammed  e'  Sherif  was  unable 
to  force  the  passage  of  the  river  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  who  did  great  execu- 
tion with  two  cannons,  the  Waday  having  none,  they  sent  to  him,  offering  to  lead 
part  of  his  army  round  by  a  ford  which  was  protected  only  by  Shuwa.  This  was 
the  ford  of  Siaa  Facha,  at  the  headland  a  little  below  Kusuri,  where  the  Shari 
and  the  River  of  Logon  unite  to  form  one  stream,  which  joins  the  Tsad.  When 
the  corps  sent  by  the  people  of  Waday  tried  to  cross  the  river  here,  the  Shuwa, 
who  had  been  ordered  to  defend  the  ford,  gave  way,  and,  thinking  this  a  favor- 
able opportunity  to  pilfer,  joined  the  enemy,  killing  many  of  the  sheikh's  people 
in  the  flank,  till  Kashella  Belal  brought  their  chief  to  the  ground.  In  the  slaugh- 
ter which  ensued  Tirab  fell,  and  a  great  many  of  the  Bornu  people.  The  valor- 
ous 'Ah  penetrated  into  the  town  of  Kusuri,  but  was  delivered  by  the  townspeople 
into  the  hands  of  the  King  of  Waday ;  the  rest  took  to  flight,  except  the  Tebu 
and  Arabs,  who  maintained  their  position,  so  that  Sheikh  'Omar  was  able  to  say 
his  prayers  of  the  dhohor  and  the  'aser  before  he  left  the  battle-field.  But  the 
encampment  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  as  well  as  the  two  cannons.  How- 
ever, in  crossing  the  river,  the  Waday  army  sustained  severe  losses.  All  this 
happened  on  Tuesday,  the  11th  of  Rebi  el  awel,  or  ^Nlarch  8,  1846.  On  Thurs- 
day Sheikh  'Omar  put  to  death  Ibrahim,  the  titular  sultan  of  Bornu,  whom  he 
had  laid  in  chains  before  going  to  battle.  He  then  hastily  left  Kukawa,  and  re- 
treated into  the  western  provinces ;  the  host  of  Waday  followed  him  as  far  as 
Ngornu,  where  they  encamped,  and  remained  about  forty  days,  while  their  skir- 
mishers plundered  all  the  neighboring  places,  and  particularly  Kukawa,  from 
whence  they  carried  away  a  considerable  booty,  and  then  set  fire  to  the  town. 
Indeed,  the  capital  for  about  two  months  remained  a  desert. 

But  this  was  not  all.  The  King  of  Waday  took  'All,  the  son  of  the  late  Sul- 
tan Ibram,  and  enthroned  him  in  BIrni  as  Sultan  of  Burnu,  summoning  all  the 
partisans  of  the  old  dynasty  to  defend  their  new  king.  However,  he  soon  found 
that  he  was  not  strong  enough  to  carry  his  point,  and  hearing  that  'Abd  e'  Rah- 
man, the  sheikh's  brother,  was  approaching  from  the  west  with  a  numerous  host, 
and  being  afraid  lest,  if  he  staid  longer,  his  retreat  might  be  cut  off  by  the  river, 
he  sent  Ibrahim  Waday  as  a  messenger  of  peace  to  the  sheikh,  declaring  that  he 
had  not  undertaken  this  expedition  from  any  desire  of  conquest,  but  at  the  in- 
stigation of  a  great  m.any  of  the  noblest  kokanawa  or  grandees  of  Bornu,  whose 
letters  he  forwarded  to  the  sheikh.  He  then,  in  the  last  days  of  April  or  the 
first  days  of  May,  IS-iG,  left  -Ngornu,  commencing  his  retreat  to  his  far-distant 
residence,  and  leaving  the  recently-elevated  sultan  to  his  fate. 

But  it  appears  that  'Ah',  the  son  of  Ibram,  was  a  courageous  young  prince  ;  for 
he  thought  himself  strong  enough  to  march  against  the  sheikh,  whom  he  en- 
countered at  Minarem,  but  was  quickly  vanquished  and  slain.  Thus  the  last 
of  the  Scfuwa  died  an  honorable  death  on  the  battle-field.  It  was  now  evident 
that  the  family  of  Mohammed  el  Kanemi,  who  had  liberated  the  country  from  a 
warlike  and  successful  enemy,  was  well  established  in  the  place  of  the  ancient 
rulers,  who  had  degenerated  into  mere  puppets,  and  were  totally  unable  to  de- 


604 


APPENDIX. 


fend  themselves  and  their  subjects.  A  great  slaughter  of  all  the  partisans  of  the 
old  dvnasty  followed,  and  principally  of  the  Sugurti,  who  had  risen  as  their  es- 
pecial upholders ;  and  a  little  later,  in  order  to  efface  as  far  as  possible  all  rec- 
ollection of  those  times,  the  destruction  of  New  Birni  was  decided  on,  and  fell 
to  the  lot  of  Haj  Bcshir,  the  son  of  Tirab,  who  had  succeeded  his  father  as  the 
first  minister  and  most  confidential  servant  of  the  sheikh.  From  this  time,  peo- 
ple say,  dated  the  great  wealth  of  the  vizier.  Meanwhile  Sheikh  'Omar  went  in 
person  to  castigate  Serki  Ibram,  the  governor  of  Zmder,  who  had  risen  in  open 
revolt,  and  took  and  plundered  the  town,  though  he  pardoned  and  reinstated  the 
governor,  while  Abd  e'  Rahman  quelled  the  rebellion  of  the  Manga,  who,  ever 
restless  and  inclined  to  insurrection,  had  thought  this  an  excellent  opportunity 
of  asserting  their  independence.  'Omar  himself  brought  the  then  large  town  of 
Surrlkulo  to  obedience,*  and  the  country  soon  became  quieter  than  before. 
Scarcely  any  vestige  of  the  old  dynasty  was  left ;  even  the  records  of  it  were  pur- 
posely destroyed — a  most  unfortunate  circumstance,  which  made  it  very  difficult 
for  me  to  obtain  what  little  information  I  have  been  able  to  collect. 

The  Kuka,  built  by  Mohammed  el  Kanemi,  having  been  destroyed  by  the  peo- 
ple of  Waday,  'Omar  and  his  vizier  built  tv*o  towns  in  its  place,  one  the  eastern 
town,  "  bllla  gedlbe,"  as  the  especial  residence  of  the  court ;  the  other,  the  west- 
ern town,    bllla  futebe."    Thus  Kiika  has  become  Kiikawa.f 

Sheikh  'Omar  was  now  in  a  much  more  favorable  position  than  his  father, 
being  sole  and  indisputable  master  of  the  country  and  really  the  king,  though  he 
disdained  the  title.  He  might  have  given  it  a  new  organization,  ruling  it  with 
a  strong  and  impartial  hand ;  but  while  he  is  an  upright  and  straightforward 
man,  who  certainly  would  like  to  see  the  country  well  administered,  he  lacks 
that  far-sighted  vigor  which  is  necessary  for  ruling  an  extensive  kingdom  based 
on  a  loose  state  of  things,  with  arbitrary  power  above  and  turbulent  habits  be- 
neath. Indeed,  it  is  most  deplorable  that  he  has  allowed  the  Tawarek,  or  rather 
Imoshagh,  those  inveterate  enemies  of  well-governed  communities,  to  persist  in 
their  desolating  predatory  habits.  In  the  time  of  his  father  there  were  Tebu 
settlements  near  all  the  wells  on  the  Fezzan  road  as  far  as  Beduwaram  ;  all  these 
have  been  deserted  successively  since  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of 'Omar,  the 
towns  of  Lari  and  Wudi  have  been  ransacked  by  the  Tavv'arek,  and  not  a  living 
soul  left,  and  the  whole  of  Kanem  has  become  the  desolate  abode  of  a  few  un- 
fortunate communities,  and  the  wild  hunting-ground  of  continual  adventurous 
ghazzias  from  every  quarter ;  indeed,  not  only  the  considerable  town  of  Barruwa, 
one  day's  march  north  of  the  komadugu,  on  the  road  to  Kanem,  but  even  other 
places  in  the  middle  of  Bornu,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  course  of  my  narrative,  have 
to  buy  their  peace  by  a  sort  of  tribute  to  be  paid  to  the  Tawarek  freebooters. 

But,  besides  his  own  personal  weakness  and  inclination  to  ascetic  piety,  there 
was  a  dangerous  cancer  undermining  the  health  of  the  new  dynasty :  this  was 
the  rivalry  which  soon  arose  between  him  and  his  brother  'Abd  e'  Rahman,  on 
account  of  the  vizier  El  Haj  Beshi'r,  who  enjoyed  the  whole  confidence  of  the 

*  'Omar,  however,  made  several  other  expeditions ;  one  against  Giijeba,  which  is  very  famous 
among  the  inhabitants. 

t  It  might  be  that  even  before  this  time  the  people  who  spoke  more  correctly  would  call  the 
town  Kukawa;  that  is,  properly,  "billa  kiikawa,"  the  "town  filled  with  kuka-tree?,"  and  not 
Kuka,  which  is,  in  truth,  only  the  name  of  the  tree  after  which  the  place  was  called. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  BO'RNU.  605 


sbeikli,  and  employed  his  authority  too  cxchisively.  The  results  of  this  unfor- 
tunate quarrel  I  will  here  report  to  their  end,  although  they  fall  after  the  time 
of  my  arrival  in  Bornu.  I  have  already  observed  above  that,  on  leaving  Miirzuk, 
we  were  informed  that  a  quarrel  was  about  to  break  out  between  'Omar  and  'Abd 
e'  Rahman ;  but,  happily,  matters  were  then  adjusted,  and  the  rivalry  did  not  pro- 
ceed to  a  civil  war  before  the  winter  of  1853,  when  'Abd  e'  Rahman,  with  his 
partisans,  left  Kukawa  and  went  to  Gujeba.  The  shiekh  and  his  vizier  followed 
him,  but  being  betrayed  by  many  of  the  courtiers,  who  v\-ere  badly  disposed 
against  the  vizier,  they  were  defeated  in  an  irregular  skirmish  ;  and  Haj  Beshir, 
certainly  with  very  little  show  of  courage,  was  the  first  who  turned  his  back,  and, 
collecting  his  most  valuable  treasures,  started  for  Waday.  Being  detained  by 
the  Shuwa,  who  would  not  allow  him  to  cross  the  Shan,  he  was  induced  to  return 
to  Kukawa,  on  safe-conduct  being  promised  to  him  by  'Abd  e'  Rahman,  but, 
having  been  found  guilty  of  treason,  was  strangled.  'Omar  meanwhile  was  al- 
lowed to  reside  as  a  private  man  in  the  house  of  his  former  vizier  till,  in  the 
summer  of  1854,  'Abd  e'  Raliman  ordered  him  to  go  to  reside  in  Dikowa.  He 
then  collected  the  malcontents,  and  on  the  'Aid  el  kebi'r  vanquished  his  brother 
in  the  open  place  between  the  two  towns,  and  made  him  prisoner,  and  in  the  first 
days  of  December  killed  him.  Thus  he  is  once  more  ruler  of  the  country,  but 
having  lost  his  vizier,  upon  whose  advice  he  was  formerly  wont  to  rely  entirely, 
he  has  nobody  to  supply  his  want  of  energy.  Time  will  show  whether  Bornu  is 
again  to  flourish  under  this  dynasty,  or  whether  it  has  to  undergo  another  revo- 
lution. From  the  sequel  of  my  narrative  it  will  sufficiently  appear  that  it  is  not 
in  such  a  state  as  it  ought  to  be  ;  but  it  has  the  advantage  that  all  over  Negro- 
land  there  is  no  warlike  and  energetic  king  at  the  present  time. 


APPENDIX  II. 


ACCOUNT  OF  THE  EASTERN  TARTS  OF  KA'NEM,  FROM  NATIVE  INFORMATION. 

Ix  attempting  to  give  a  description  of  those  parts  of  Kanem  which  I  have  not 
visited  myself,  I  must  express  my  regret  that,  when  in  that  country,  I  had  no 
knowledge  of  the  manuscript  history  of  the  expeditions  of  Edris  Alawoma  into 
the  same  region,  as,  with  the  assistance  of  the  rich  supply  of  the  important  his- 
torical as  well  as  geographical  data  contained  in  that  work,  I  should  have  been 
enabled  to  give  a  far  more  interesting  description  of  the  country,  and  even  per- 
haps to  identify  the  sites  of  many  of  its  former  remarkable  places. 

The  former  capital  of  Kanem,  as  has  been  seen,  was  Njfmi  or  Nj;miye,  a  place 
whose  approximate  situation  will  be  pointed  out  hereafter ;  the  present  capital, 
if  we  may  still  employ  this  title  in  such  a  country  as  Kanem  is  at  the  present 
time,  is  Maw6,*  or  rather  M'awo,  a  place  which  already,  in  the  time  of  Edrls 
Alawoma,  was  of  great  importance. 

This  town,  which  it  was  our  ardent  desire  to  visit,  and  which  we  most  probably 
should  have  reached  if  the  Welad  Sliman  had  undertaken  that  expedition,  on 
which  we  accompanied  them,  with  the  whole  of  their  little  troop,  instead  of 
allowing  half  of  it  to  go  to  Kukuwa,  seems  to  be  situated  about  20  miles  S.S.E. 
from  Henderi  Si'ggesi,  and  is  at  present  only  thinly  inhabited,  its  population 
probably  not  exceeding  3000  or  4000,  though  the  circuit  of  the  town  is  said  to 
be  still  of  considerable  magnitude.  It  is  surrounded  with  a  wall,  and  is  adorned 
with  a  great  many  date-trees.  It  is  the  residence  of  a  khalifa,  whose  power  is 
of  the  most  precarious  and  uncertain  condition,  as  its  existence  depends  entirely 
on  the  relative  supremacy  of  either  Waday  or  Bornu.  The  consequence  is,  that 
there  are  generally  two  khalifas' — one  actually  in  power,  and  the  other  watching 
to  expel  him  at  the  first  opportunity,  with  the  assistance  of  one  of  the  patronizing 
powers — Mohammed  Saleh,  the  father  of  the  celebrated  King  of  "Waday,  'Abd  el 
Kerlm  Sabiin,  having  succeeded  to  the  pretensions  which  the  Bulala,  the  princes 
of  the  provinces  of  Fittrl  and  Kuka  (then  swallowed  by  the  empire  of  Waday), 
possessed  by  conquest  over  the  kingdom  of  Kanem. 

But,  to  return  to  M'awo,  there  is  a  market  held  in  the  town  every  Wednesday ; 
but,  on  account  of  the  very  insecure  state  of  the  country,  it  can  not  jjossibly  be 
now  of  any  great  importance.   The  inhabitants  seem  to  belong  to  a  peculiar  race ; 

*  The  name  is  written  in  Arabic  in  very  different  v,-ays,  the  MS.  account  of  the  exp-ditions  of 

Edris  sometimes  ha\'ing  the  form  \yi^  ,  at  others  but  the  real  indigenous  form  seems 

to  be  M'awo,  a  name  exactly  similar  to  G'awo,  that  of  the  capital  of  the  Songhay  empire,  and 
Y'awo,  the  residence  of  the  Bulala  princes.  It  is  not  improbable  that,  by  corruption,  tlie  name 
Matan,  which  by  E'bn  S'aid  and  Abu  '1  Feda  (p.  162)  is  given  to  a  well-known  place  in  Kanem, 
has  originated  in  the  name  of  :M'awo,  although  they  place  it  close  on  the  shore  of  the  Tsad 
(bahiret  Kuri),  and  north  from  Njimiye. 


M'AWO'  AND  ITS  NEIGIIBOKHOOD. 


GOT 


for  the  Teda  Gur'aan  call  them  by  the  name  of  Beranema,  the  oripjin  and  mean- 
ing of  which  I  was  not  able  to  make  out  with  certainty,  but  which  may  seem  to 
have  some  connection  with  the  name  Bornu,  although  it  can  scarcely  have  any 
relation  to  the  name  Berauni,  given  to  the  Teda  themselves  by  the  Kel-owi  and 
other  foreigners. 

Between  M'awo  and  Henderi  SIggesi  there  appear  to  be  several  favored  valleys, 
where  the  date-tree  grows  in  more  or  less  abundance.  The  most  famous  are  the 
large  valley  called  Karafu  or  Karfu,  a  few  miles  from  M'awo,  under  the  authority 
of  Keghamma  Giirde,  who  succeeded  to  Keghamma  Slntal ;  on  the  west  side  of 
Karfu,  at  a  short  distance  from  it,  Yegi ;  and  not  far  from  it  the  valley  Badanga, 
stated  to  be  very  rich  in  date-trees,  and  Kedala,  belonging  to  the  chief  Chcfande  ;* 
then  the  valleys  Hamaji  (belonging  to  Fiigo  ?),  Galtard,  and  Mapal. 

The  valley  of  Mapal  is  said  to  form  the  limit  of  the  date-tree  in  that  direction. 
On  the  west  side  of  M'awo  is  likewise  an  inhabited  place  called  Kajidi,  but  with- 
out date-trees. 

The  upper  part  of  the  valley  Gesgi,  which  is  said  to  stretch  from  south  to  north, 
is  called  Telerl-Chemo,  and  is  the  dwelling-place  of  the  Shin',  to  whom  belong 
the  Fugabu  (or,  as  the  name  is  often  pronounced,  Fogubot)  Shun,  who  are  the 
inveterate  enemies  of  the  Woghda,  the  inhabitants  of  Gesgi.  In  this  neighbor- 
hood is  also  a  valley  called  Li'llowa. 

North  from  ]M'aw6,  at  no  great  distance  from  Alali,  toward  the  east,  is  the 
place  Kulakula,  inhabited  likewise  by  Kauembu.  How  Berada,  a  place  stated  to 
be  also  on  the  north  side  of  M'awo,  and  to  be  inhabited  by  a  tribe  called  Kemalla, 
who  art  under  the  authority  of  a  keghamma,  is  situated  in  relation  to  these  places, 
I  am  unable  to  say.  In  various  valleys  on  the  same  side  of  M'awo  are  also  stated 
to  be  the  dwelling-places  of  the  Medele,  a  nomadic  tribe  who  possess  a  great  many 
herds  and  flocks.  In  this  neighborhood  is  also  the  valley  called  Giimsa,  inhabited 
by  a  Tebu  tribe  called  Giimsuwa,  and  who  seem  to  be  different  from  the  Giimsu 
mentioned  further  on. 

E.N.E.  from  ]\raw6  are  the  inhabited  places  Kammegri  and  Jugo,  inhabited  by 
a  peculiar  tribe  called  El  M'allemin  by  the  Arabs.  What  their  indigenous  name 
is  I  did  not  learn ;  they  are  most  probably  identical  with  the  tribe  called  Had- 
dada,  whose  original  name  is  Biingu. 

The  dwelling-places  of  the  Shitati  are  very  numerous,  and  at  a  greater  distance 
west  from  M'awo  :  several  of  them,  indeed,  we  visited,  such  as  Yegil,  Agho  (for- 
merly an  important  place,  of  great  antiquity),  Arnanko,  Burkadnisso,  Boro. 
Besides  these,  the  following  are  the  most  renowned  places  of  their  temporary 
residence :  Berind^,  Li'nkero,  Ki'nti,  Hederke,  Din,  Geringe,  Tyiro,  Kiilla,  La- 
riska,  two  different"  places  called  Nunku,  Kau  or  K6,  Li'shego,  Kelemn,  Dele, 
Tawader,  Geno,  Lergeji,  Yiggela,  Maina,  Yi'ggu,  Yakulge,  Bagale,^  Buni,  Changa, 
Xduro,  Lodore,  two  places  with  the  name  Kiyala  (with  one  of  which  we  shall  soon 
become  acquainted  as  Gharni  Kiyala),  Bdlleli,  Kuttuwa,  My,  Kajiro,  A'ddufo,  Yero. 

I  now  proceed  southward  from  M'awo  toward  the  southeastern  border  of  Lake 

•  In  this  last  statement  there  may  be  some  error. 

t  May  the  name  Fugn,  Fugabu,  have  any  connection  with  the  tribe  of  the  Fi'igu  mentioned  by 
Masiidi  (Golden  MeculoivK,  chap,  xxxiii.,  p.  13S,  MS.  transl.  R.  Asiatic  Society)  ? 

t  Bagalo  is  certainly  an  interesting  example  of  tlie  homonymy  of  African  names  in  distant 
countries. 


608 


AITENDIX. 


Tsad,  the  interior  basin  of  which  being  tolerably  well  established  by  Mr.  Ovcrweg's 
navigation,  its  outline  can  be  laid  dovm  according  to  these  data  with  a  great  deal 
of  approximative  accuracy,  though  it  is  certainly  much  to  be  regretted  that  we 
did  not  succeed  in  reaching  this  district  ourselves,  and  deciding  the  principal 
points  by  ocular  demonstration. 

I.  Itinerary  from  M'awo  to  Taghghel,  directly  South. 

Day. 

1st.  Eoyendu,  a  place  inhabited  by  a  peculiar  tribe  of  Teda  or  Tebu,  called 
Vgygira. 

2d.  Belangara,  a  place  inhabited  by  the  Dlbberi,  Avho  speak  the  Kanuri  lan- 
guage,* and  are  said  to  be  the  original  tribe  of  the  Fugabu.  Arrive 
before  the  heat  of  the  day. 

3d.  Ghala,  a  considerable  village  of  huts  inhabited  by  the  Kubberi  or  Kobber, 

who  speak  the  Kanuri  language. 
4th.  Jekere,  a  place  at  present  inconsiderable,  but  once  of  large  size,  inhabited 
by  the  Kanku  (identical  with  the  Kunkuna?),  a  tribe  or  section  of  the 
Kanembu. 

5t]i.  Arrive,  before  the  heat  is  great,  at  the  well  Lefadu,  without  inhabitants, 
make  a  short  halt,  and  reach  Mailo,  a  place  with  a  lake  full  of  fish,  and 
inhabited  by  a  peculiar  tribe  called  Haddada  or  Bungu,  who  are  said  to 
speak  the  Kanuri  language,  but  go  almost  naked,  being  onl}^  clothed 
with  a  leather  wrapper  round  their  loins,  and  are  armed  Avith  bows  and 
arrows  and  the  goliyo.  They  are  very  expert  bowmen,  and,  when  at- 
tacked, withdraw  into  the  dense  forests  of  their  district  (to  which  seems 
to  apply  the  general  name  of  Barf),  and  know  well  how  to  defend  their 
independence  in  politics  as  well  as  in  religion — for  they  are  pagans. 
To  them  belong  the  famous  clan  called,  at  least  by  the  Welad  Sliman, 
Dwarda  Ilajra.  A  celebrated  town  of  the  Haddada  is  Dfmari,  the  resi- 
dence of  Mala  DIma.  In  Barf  there  is  a  market  held  every  Thursday, 
as  it  seems,  in  that  part  of  it  v/hich  is  nearest  to  M'awo.  In  1853  the 
Welad  Sliman  made  a  strict  alliance  with  the  Haddada,  and  in  conse- 
quence defeated,  in  their  woody  district,  the  officer  of  Waday,  called 
Agid  el  Bahr. 

For  the  general  outlines  of  this  little-known  region,  the  following  itinerary 
from  Kusuri  to  M'awo,  according  to  the  Kanemma  chief  A'msakay,  is  of 
great  importance : 

Day, 

1st.  Sleep  in  the  wilderness. 

2d.  Sleep  near  Kau  Abuddala,  a  rocky  eminence  near  the  lake  (see 
Denham,  vol.  i.,  p.  261).  Two  routes,  connecting  this  important 
spot  with  A'bu-Gher  and  Mele,  will  be  given  in  another  place. 

3d.  Yamanuk  Kalema,  a  large,  open,  straggling  village,  apparently  named 
from  the  warlike  chief  A'manuk  or  Yamanuk,  M^ell  known  from  Den- 
ham's  narrative. 

4th.  Ban,  a  large  place  or  district  formerly  under  the  authority  of  the 
Sheikh  of  Bornu,  near  the  shore  of  the  lake. 

*  From  the  origin  of  the  people  the  name  of  the  place  is  probably  derived ;  for  Bille  Xgare  is 
the  name  which  the  inhabitants  of  Logon  give  to  the  Kanuri. 


KOUTE  FROM  BERI'  TO  TA'GHGHEL.  609 

Day. 

5th..  Dimari,  a  considerable  place  belonging  to  Dlma,  called  by  A'msakay 

a  vice-governor  of  Kanem. 
Gth.  Giimsu,  a  place  situated  in  a  valley  rich  in  date-trees,  inhabited  by 

Kanembu  and  Shuwa. 
7th.  Man  do  or  Mondo,  a  large  market-place,  formerly  under  the  Khalifa 

of  Bomu. 
8th.  M'awo. 

Day. 

6th.  Taghghel,  a  place  situated  on  the  border  of  the  lagoon,  and  inhabited  by 
the  Kajidi,  who  cultivate  a  good  deal  of  com,  and  have  large  herds  of 
camels.  Arrive  before  the  heat  of  the  day.  If  agreeable,  you  can  go 
on  from  Jekere  without  stopping,  and  reach  Taghghel  the  same  day  at 
sunset. 

N.B. — The  direction  of  all  the  wadiyan  or  valleys  which  you  cross  on 
this  route  is  from  west  to  east. 

II.  Fkom  Beei  to  Taghghel,  goln'g  along  the  border  of  the  Lake. 
1st.  Kologo. 

2d.  Keskawa,  inhabited  by  the  Kubberi,  with  much  cultivation  of  corn,  prin- 
cipally "masr"  (Zea  7nais),  besides  beans  ;  much  cattle.  There  was  for- 
merly also  a  village  or  district  Keskawa  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  lake, 
one  day  from  Isgala. 

3d.  Koskodo. 

4th.  Talgm,  a  considerable  open  village.  At  no  great  distance  from  this  place 
is  a  valley  ^^•ith  date-trees.  A  man  on  foot  can  easily  reach  Talgin  in 
two  days  from  Beri,  sleeping  in  Keskawa.  From  Talgin  the  direct  road 
leads  to  M'awo  in  three  days  : 

1st.  Maniga,  a  place  inhabited  by  Tebu  and  Kanembu,  and  situated,  as 

it  seems,  on  a  creek  of  the  lake. 
2d.  A  callage  inhabited  by  Tebu,  under  the  authority  of  Kashella  Bacha, 

with  a  market  of  some  importance,  where  a  great  many  dates  are 

sold. 

3d.  Reach  ^I'awo  at  sunset,  after  having  passed  the  heat  in  an  open 
valley-plain  with  date-trees. 
5th.  Vuli  or  Fuli.    From  here  another  route  leads  to  M'awo. 
Gth.  Kununu. 
7th.  Kanana. 

8th.  Forrom,  a  place  on  terra  firma,  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  island  of  the 
same  name. 

9th.  NgQlewa. 
10th.  Medi. 
Uth.  Tdghghel. 

I  will  here  only  just  mention  that  Taghghel  can  not  be  identical  with  Denham's 
Tangalia,  because  the  latter  was  situate  about  one  day's  journey  south  (see  Den- 
ham,  vol.  i.,  p.  265*),  or  rather  S.W.  from  the  Bahr  el  Ghazal,  and  Taghghel  lies 
a  day  and  a  half  to  the  north  of  it. 

•  In  this  passage,  however,  it  seems  almost  as  if  there  were  a  misunderstacding,  "  in  a  day" 
instead  of  "  once." 

Vol.  II.— Q  q 


610 


APPENDIX. 


III.  The  Bahr  el  Ghazal,  called  "burrtt]vi"  by  the  Kanembu,  and 
"fede"  by  the  Tebu  Gur'aan. 

All  the  accounts  which  I  received  with  regard  to  this  much-talked-of  valley, 
which  it  had  been  our  ardent  desire  to  visit,  agreed  in  the  very  remarkable  state- 
ment that  its  inclination  was  not  from  the  desert  toward  the  lake,  but  from  the 
lake  toward  the  desert.  All  my  informants  stated  that  it  is  now  dry,  but  that 
less  than  a  hundred  years  ago  it  formed  the  bed  of  a  river  or  channel  opening  a 
commimication  by  water  between  the  Tsad  and  Biirgu.  Indeed,  some  people 
asserted  that  there  was  still  living  a  very  old  man,  who,  in  his  early  youth,  had 
made  this  journey  by  water.  The  spot  where  this  very  large  wadi,  now  dry  and 
densely  clothed  with  trees,  joins  the  Tsad,  is  near  the  south  side  of  a  place  called 
'Alimari,  distant  one  day  and  a  half  from  Taghghel,  in  a  southerly  direction. 
Start  from  Taghghel,  sleep  at  Kirchi'mma,  before  noon  arrive  at  'Aliman.  But 
at  present  this  connection  between  the  lake  and  the  valley  is  said  to  be  blocked 
up  by  sand-hills  near  a  spot  called  Suggera  or  Mezrak  by  the  Arabs,  which  pre- 
vents the  water  of  the  lake,  even  in  its  highest  state,  from  entering  into  the 
Burrum.  However,  more  inward,  another  basin  is  here  formed,  which  is  occa- 
sionally called  Hedeba. 

Feom  'Alimaei  to  MoiTo. 

Day, 

1st.  Kedada,  a  large  place,  entirely  inhabited  by  runaway  slaves,  who  have 

asserted  their  liberty. 
2d.  Kedigi,  inhabited  by  La  Sal'a  or  El  As'ale'  Arabs. 
3d.  Moito  (see  Appendix  IX.). 

'ALmARi  TO  Karnak  Logoxe,  two  and  a  half  days. 
Though  a  few  of  my  informants  were  of  opinion  that  there  was  a  branch  wadi 
uniting  the  Bahr  el  Ghazal  with  Lake  Fittn,  nevertheless  most  of  them  stated 
uniformly  that  they  have  no  connection  whatever,  but  that  several  independent 
valleys  intenene  between  them.  This  statement  is  borne  out  by  many  circum- 
stances. 

The  direction  of  the  Burrum,  for  a  considerable  part  of  its  course,  is  given  by 
the  route  from  M'awo  to  Y'awo,  the  capital  of  the  province  Fittri  (according  to 
my  informants,  due  east). 

Day. 

1st  (short).  Kcilkala,  different  from  the  place  Kulakula  mentioned  above. 

2d.  Gujer.  Pass  here  the  heat ;  start  again  in  the  afternoon  ;  sleep  on  the  road. 

This  whole  district  appears  to  have  the  general  appellation  of  Sagore, 

which  I  think  can  not  be  different  from  Yagore,  the  name  of  the  country 

in  which  Mondo  is  situated. 
3d.  Tororo,  a  well  in  the  Burrum ;  before  the  kaila.    A  man  on  horseback  is 

said  to  go  on  in  one  day  from  M'awo  to  the  wadi.    Pass  here  the  heat; 

start  again  at  dhohor,  and  encamp  at  sunset,  still  in  the  wadi. 
4th.  Encamp  at  the  beginning  of  the  heat,  still  in  the  same  wadi. 
5th.  In  another  (?)  wadi. 

6th.  Shegeraye,  a  well  with  much  water  (and,  according  to  other  informants,  in 
the  Burrum). 


YA'WO  TO  MA-^YO. 


611 


Dav. 

7th.  Hajijat. 

8th.  Encamp  between  the  rocks  in  AYadi  Fali. 
9th.  Fittri. 

Itixerart  tkom  Y'awo  to  M'Awd,  accoedixg  to  the  BulIla  Ibrahim. 
1st.  Fali,  a  rocky  valley  belonging  to  Bagirmi. 
2d.  Auni,  a  hamlet  inhabited  by  Bagirmi  people. 
3d.  Bukko. 

4th.  Shegeraye,  a  valley  inhabited  by  Tebu  Gur'aan. 
5th.  Bahr  el  Ghazal. 

Gth.  Kedada,  a  place  inhabited  by  Tj'njur.  It  is  a  question  of  some  importance 
whether  this  Kedada  be  identical  with  the  Kedada  mentioned  above. 

7th.  !Mond6,  a  considerable  place  in  the  district  Yagore,  and  therefore  sometimes 
called  Mondo  Yagore,  inhabited  by  Tynjur  (about  this  curious  race  of 
people  I  shall  have  occasion  to  say  more  in  another  place),  Waday 
people,  and  Arabs.  In  the  same  district  of  I'agore  lies  also  the  place 
Bugarma,  governed  by  the  chief  Kedl  Adummo.  Mondo  is  mentioned 
by  Denham  repeatedly  under  the  form  Mendoo  or  Kanem  Mendoo,  and 
was  computed  by  him  to  be  distant  about  ten  hours'  ride  from  his  station 
in  the  camp  of  the  Duggana.*  Mondo  is  the  residence  of  a  governor 
formerly  under  the  authority  of  Bornu,  but  at  present  (at  least  in  1851) 
under  that  of  "VYaday.  The  present  governor  is  Fugobo  Bakr  or  AlDakr 
(properly  A'bu  Bakr)  ;  and  verj'  often  the  agid  el  bahr  resides  here. 

8th.  Yagubberi  (the  name,  probably,  connected  with  that  of  the  Kanembii  tribe 
Kubberi),  inhabited  by  T}Tijur. 

9th.  M'awo. 

Here  may  be  conveniently  mentioned  the  stations  along  the  celebrated  Bumim, 
as  given  to  us  by  the  Welad  Sliman,  which,  checked  by  the  itineraries  mentioned 
above,  will  give  an  approximate  outline  of  the  windings  of  the  valley,  as  laid  down 
in  the  map. 

Beginning  at  'AHmari,  always  keeping  along  the  Burrum,  the  usual  stations 
are  the  following : 

Geren,  Hebal,  Shegeraye,  Fajaja,  Munarak,  Sheddera,  Torori,  Haradfbe,  Ge- 
lemni,  Hageji,  Tylb-bahr  (Tiil  el  bahr  ?),  Chiiwaru,  Ege. 

The  situation  of  Ege  is  decided  by  an  itinerary  from  Ngegimi  to  that  place, 
which  shall  be  given  further  on.  But  first  I  must  mention  one  difficulty,  which 
leaves  a  little  uncertainty  in  the  configuration  of  this  part  of  the  country.  This 
difficulty  regards  the  place  Shegeraye,  which  in  this  piece  of  information  is  men- 
tioned as  a  spot  and  well  in  the  Bunum  itself,  while  in  the  itineraries  (p.  613) 
it  is  indicated  rather  as  a  different  valley ;  but  it  does  not  seem  so  difficult  to 
account  for  this  difference,  the  large  valley  apparently  dividing  repeatedly  into 
several  branches. 

About  the  identity  of  Torori  there  can  not  be  the  least  doubt,  as  the  road  from 
M'awo  to  this  place  leads  by  Kalkala  and  Giijer. 


•  Denham's  Journal,  vol.  i.,  p.  262,  ff.  It  is  not  quite  clear  whether  Denham  reckons  the 
fifty  miles  (p.  267)  to  Mendoo  or  to  M'awo,  but  probably  to  M'awo.  The  name  Korata  Mendooby 
(p.  26T)  means  the  Kerada  (Fugabu)  of  Mondo. 


612 


APPENDIX. 


Short  Itinerary  from  Ngegimi  to  Ege. 
Mayijat,  bi'r  Nefasa,  hir  ShenTa,  bir  el  Hoslia,  el  Ilamlr,  bir  Haduj,  bi'r  el  'Atesh, 
bi'r  beu  jMusscbi,  bir  Sali,  Kederi,  Dira  or  Diri,  Bfrfo  (I  am  not  sure  whether  origi- 
nally bi'r  Fo),  Ege. 

Another  Itinerary  from  Bi'r  el  Kuena  to  Ege,  touching  at  Bi'r  el 
'Atesh  and  MussebL 

Day. 

1st.  A  long  inarch ;  at  sunset  arrive  at  bi'r  el  'Atesh,  north. 

2d.  At  dhohor  encamp  in  the  wilderness. 

3d.  After  four  hours'  march  arrive  at  bi'r  ben  Mussebi. 

4th.  About  'aser  (about  half  past  four  o'clock  P.M.)  encamp  in  the  wilderness. 
5th.  After  four  or  five  hours'  march,  arrive  at  bir  el  Borfo,  which  is  already 

beyond  the  boundaries  of  Kanem.    It  is  evident  that  this  well  is  not 

identical  with  Birfo. 
6th.  Encamp  in  a  place  with  plenty  of  had,  but  only  few  trees. 
7th.  At  sunset  arrive  in  Ege'. 

Ege  is  a  very  celebrated  locality  (one  prominent  spot  of  which  is  called  Kukurde) 
with  the  nomadic  inhabitants  of  these  regions,  and  is  temporarily  frequented  by 
a  variety  of  tribes,  who  visit  it  in  order  to  water  their  camels  from  the  famous 
wells  (which  are  believed  to  promote  the  gi-owth  of  the  camel),  and  to  collect 
the  fruit  of  the  siwak  or  Capparis,  which  grows  in  verj'  great  abundance  in  this 
part  of  the  valley,  while  higher  up  it  seems  to  be  more  scanty.  The  strongest 
among  these  tribes  in  former  times  were  the  Bultu  or  Biltu,  who  will  be  men- 
tioned presently  in  the  list  of  the  Tebu  tribes,  and  had  formerly  the  supremacy 
over  the  Nakassa,  the  Halal  el  debus  (an  Arab  nickname,  the  proper  name  of 
the  tribe  not  being  known  to  me),  both  of  whom  frequent  likewise  Ege,  and  the 
Khiyat  e'  rih  (another  nickname).  Besides  the  tribes  above  mentioned,  Ege  is 
generally  frequented  by  the  Musu,  the  Sakerda,  by  that  section  of  the  Fugabii 
which  is  under  the  supremacy  of  Kedl  Lawati,  and  occasionally  by  the  Welad 
Sliman.  But  Ege,  of  course,  on  account  of  its  being  resorted  to  by  many  tribes 
as  a  fine  place  for  their  herds  of  camels,  is  also  a  marked  point  for  predatory 
expeditions. 

From  Ege  the  Burrum  or  Bahr  el  Ghazal  seems  to  turn  to  the  N.W.,  or  at 
least  "to  the  N.N.W.,  going  to  Tangiir,  a  famous  place  two  days  from  Ege'. 
Tangiir  (where  the  country  seems  to  form  a  large  basin)  is  generally  regarded 
as  the  end  of  the  Burrum ;  and  a  hypsometrical  observation  made  here  would 
immediately  decide  the  question  about  the  inclination  of  the  Burrum,  and  show 
whether  the  very  remarkable  statement  of  the  natives  be  correct  or  not.  Some 
people  contend  that  the  wadi  extends  still  further  into  Biirku  or  Burgu.  North 
from  Tangur,  a  day  or  two's  march,  is  the  famous  place  Bateli,  not  less  celebrated 
than  Ege  for  its  fine  breed  of  camels,  generally  of  a  dark  brown  or  a  rather 
blackish  color,  of  which  I  myself  had  occasionally  a  specimen  in  my  train,  and 
Degi'rshim. 

After  having  given  this  piece  of  information  with  regard  to  the  southeast  part 
of  Kanem  and  the  Burrum,  I  now  proceed  to  give  some  itineraries  from  the 
quarters  of  which  information  has  been  obtained  in  this  way,  to  the  country  of 


BU'EKU  OR  BU'RGU. 


613 


Burku  or  Burgii,  about  which  Captain  Lyon  has  given  so  many  interesting  details. 
I  will  only  add  that  Dr.  Overweg  took  down,  from  the  mouth  of  a  well-informed 
native,  a  very  exact  itinerary  of  the  route  from  Murzuk  to  this  country,  which, 
together  with  the  other  data  and  the  infoiTnation  collected  by  Mr.  Fresnel,  goes 
far  to  establish  its  position  with  great  approximative  precision. 

From  Ege  to  Yen  or  Beled  el  'Omitan,  the  chief  place  in  Burku. 

N.N.E. 

Day. 

1st.  Taro  or  Tro,  a  valley  with  bitter  water. 
2d.  Karo  ;  before  the  heat  of  the  day. 
2d.  Audanga,  a  well,  with  plenty  of  excellent  brushwood. 
4th.  Tungurki ;  before  the  heat  of  the  day. 

5th.  Yaiyo  el  kebir,  a  well,  with  dum-palms,  and  near  to  it  Yaiyo  elsghir.  Yaiyo 
is  nine  days  from  So,  on  the  Bulma  road,  reaching  Giri  in  two  days,  A'rraka 
in  two  more  days,  and  from  hence  So  in  five  days. 

8th.  Yen,  having  entered  the  limits  of  Biirku  on  the  6th  day,  when  you  first 
come  to  the  source  called  'Am  Telekka.  The  neighborhood  of  Yen  is 
rich  in  herbage  and  palm-trees.  The  village  in  general  consists  of 
houses  or  cottages  built  of  stone ;  but  the  number  of  the  inhabitants 
fluctuates.  Galakka  is  another  of  the  principal  places  in  Burku.  Xhere 
are  several  chiefs  of  authority  in  the  place,  the  most  influential  of  whom 
seems  to  be  Lenga,  or,  with  his  title,  Tawa  Lenga.  There  is,  besides 
Yoworde,  another  chief  called  Kaleme,  and  a  third  one  called  Bi'ddu, 
belonging  to  the  tribe  or  family  of  the  BIdduwa.  As  for  the  Kedl-Agre, 
the  chief  of  the  Biiltu,  he  also  occasionally  resides  here.  In  Teki,  a 
locality  fertilized  by  a  large  spring,  another  chief  resides,  belonging  to 
the  Tiyowa,  aud  called  Gehenni. 
Yen  is  eleven  days  from  'Aradha,  the  seat  of  the  Mahamid,  the  position 
of  which  may  be  determined  with  great  precision  by  the  distance  from 
"Wara  (see  Appendix,  No.  VII.) :  1st  day,  Wen ;  3d,  Chirogia ;  7th,  Oshim ; 
11th,  Aradha. 

I  will  now  say  a  word  about  the  tribes  and  families  of  the  Tebu  and  their  present 
settlements,  referring  to  ray  account  of  the  history  of  the  Bornu  kingdom  (ante, 
p.  30),  and  to  my  journey  homeward  in  1855  for  further  particulars. 

The  Tebu,  Tubu,  or  rather  Teda,  I  think  myself  still  justified  in  considering, 
as  I  have  stated  on  a  former  occasion,*  as  nearly  related  to  the  Kanuri ;  and  the 
historical  relations  between  the  two  nations,  which  I  have  had  occasion  to  eluci- 
date above,  serve  to  corroborate  my  opinion.  The  Arabs,  especially  the  Welad 
Sliman,  generally  add  to  the  name  Tebu  the  word  "  Gr'aan"  or  "  Gur'aan,"  which 
I  think  myself  justified  in  referring  to  the  district  Goran,  so  often  referred  to  by 
Leo  Africanus,  while  Marinol  writes  it  Gorhan.  The  Tebu  themselves  I  never 
heard  use  the  name,  and  forgot  to  ask  the  meaning  of  the  word.  I  will  here 
only  add  that  in  their  own  language  they  call  the  Kanuri  by  the  name  of  Tiiguba, 
while  they  give  to  the  Imoshagh  or  Tawarek  the  name  of  Yeburde.  I  shall  first 
mention  those  Tebu  tribes  who  live  in  and  near  Kanem,  and  have  already  been 
mentioned  occasionally,  then  proceed  northward,  and  from  thence  to  the  southeast. 
*  See  ante,  p.  30,  note  t. 


614 


APPE^^)IX. 


The  principal  tribes  settled  in  Kanem  are  the  Woghda,  the  Dogorda,  the  Gadea, 
the  Yeworma,*  and  the  Fidda;  in  Lumna,  on  the  komadugu  Waube,  the  E'dere 
or  E'durl ;  north  of  the  komadugu,  as  far  as  Beduwaram,  the  Biilguda,  called  by 
the  Arabs  and  Bornu  people  Daza ;  near  Bedmvaram  the  "Wandala,  a  tribe  already 
mentioned  by  Captain  Lyon,  as  well  as  by  Major  Denham  ;t  near  them  the  Aussa ; 
about  the  well  of  A'ghadem  the  Boloduwa,  called  (by  the  Kanuri)  am  Wadebe ; 
along  the  Burrum,  called  "fede"  by  the  Tebu,  the  Karda,  called  generally  Kreda, 
separated  into  several  famiHes,  the  principal  of  which  are  the  Geh'mma,  the  Grason 
(this  I  think  rather  the  name  of  a  chief,  all  the  names  of  tribes  ending  with  a 
vowel),  and  Bukoshele ;  the  Shindakora,  with  the  chief  A'bu  ISTakiir ;  the  Sakerda, 
with  Bakaikore ;  the  Medema  and  the  Norea,  generally  called  Nworma  ;J  in  Ege 
and  Bateli,  the  Miisu,  with  their  chief  Wiidda  ;  in  Tougur,  the  Nakassa,  a  section 
of  whom  are  the  Un,  with  the  chief  Maina ;  in  Bilma  or  Bulma  (which  probably 
is  the  right  form),  and  the  wadi  Kawar,  or  rather  "  henderi  Teda,"  as  it  is  called 
by  the  natives,  the  tribe  of  the  Gesera  or  Gesedi. 

In  Tibesti  (a  general  name  which  once  seems  to  have  had  a  wider  range  than 
it  has  at  present)  and  Bateli :  the  Temaghera,§  as  they  are  generally  called,  a 
very  interesting  tribe,  of  ancient  historical  importance  (which  I  have  already 
mentioned  on  a  former  occasion  as  probably  having  given  the  name  to  the  prov- 
ince of  Deniagherim,  and  which,  in  the  time  of  Edris  Alawoma,  was  settled  in 
Nguruti  [written  Ghuguti]  in  Kanem),  with  the  chief  Gurde,  who  has  succeeded 
to  Teharke ;  the  Gonda  or  Gunda,  whose  old  chief,  Taher  Asar,  died  some  time 
ago  (the  same  who  wanted  to  write  a  letter  to  King  George  in  Denham's  time) 
in  Borde  (the  Berdai  of  Captain  Lyon),  one  of  the  principal  localities  in  Tibesti, 
and  in  other  places ;  the  A'rinda  in  Dirkemawu,  another  locality  of  Tibesti,  with 
the  chief  Keneme.  North  from  Tibesti,  in  the  valley  T'awo,  the  Abo,  a  name 
which  has  often,  by  Lyon,  and  even  by  Mr.  Overweg,  in  the  itinerary  just  men- 
tioned, been  mistaken  for  that  of  a  place. 

These  latter  tribes  together,  I  think,  form  the  group  generally  called  Tebu 
Reshade,  but  with  the  indigenous  appellation  "  Tedetu." 

In  O'janga  or  Wajanga,||  eastward  from  Tibesti,  and  northeastward  from  Burku, 
in  the  direction  of  KufFara,  with  Kebabo,  which  latter  place,  by  the  people  of 
Burgu,  is  called  Tesser :  the  tribe  of  the  Wonya,  with  the  chief  Onokke ;  the 
Matatena  or  Giirin,  to  the  south  of  them,  in  fertile  valleys  producing  even  figs. 

In  Burku :  the  Bultu,  called  by  the  Arabs  by  the  nickname  of  Nej'a  el  Keleb, 
with  -their  powerful  chief  the  kedl-Agi-e,  and  residing  part  of  the  year  in  Yen, 
but,  after  the  dates  have  been  gathered,  generally  settled  in  the  district  called 
Kere  Burku,  and  at  other  seasons  in  Ege ;  under  the  authority  of  the  kedl-Agre 

*  The  Yeworma,  as  well  as  the  Tymmelme  and  Yeggada,  have  been  almost  annihilated  by  the 
Tawdrek. 

t  As  for  the  Traita,  mentioned  by  Lyon,  p.  2G5,  and  by  Major  Denham  repeatedly,  vol.  i., 
p.  42,  et  seq.,  I  think  that  this  name  is  not  indigenous;  at  least  I  have  been  unsuccessful  in 
getting  information  respecting  a  people  so  called.  Denham  himself  calls  them  once  "the  people 
of  Traita." 

t  Under  this  form  they  came  also  under  Burckhardt's  notice.  (Travels  in  Nubia,  2d  ed., 
Appendix  I.,  p.  435.) 

§  There  seems  to  be  some  Berber  element  in  the  word ;  but  I  think  it  is  more  apparent  than 
real,  for  the  -word  is  distinctly  written  by  Imam  A'hmed  Tumaghira. 

fl  See  Captain  Lyon's  Narrative,  p.  266,  where  a  rather  exaggerated  account  is  given  of  the 
irrigation  of  the  country,  which  seems  certainly  not  to  be  at  all  sterile  throughout. 


TRIBES  OF  THE  TEBU  OR  TEDA'. 


615 


are  also  the  Kirdida  in  Kirdi,*  the  Guruwa  in  Gur,  and  the  Elbuweda  in  Elbuwe ; 
the  Yeuowa,  with  their  chief  Alanga,  or  rather  Lenga,  in  Yen ;  the  Doza,  with 
their  chief  Kalema,  in  Biidda,  a  valley  east  of  Yen  ;  the  Yerda,  in  a  locality  of 
the  same  name,  about  half  a  day's  march  east  from  Yen,  with  the  chief  Yile ; 
the  Teyewa  in  Teke,  a  favored  spot  or  valley  at  present  under  the  authority  of 
Gehenni,  their  former  chief,  Sahayi,  the  father  of  a  numerous  family,  having 
died ;  in  the  large  valley  'Aradha,  on  the  borders  of  Waday,  the  Mohede,  for- 
merly under  'Othman  Belede,  who  died  some  time  ago,  and,  further  on,  the 
Zoghawa,  a  very  numerous  and  pow^erful  tribe. 

I  should  have  now  to  enumerate  the  tribe  of  the  Terauye  or  Bedeyat  (or,  as 
they  are  called  by  the  Arabs,  A'uwa),  who  live  in  the  district  E'nnedi,  inter- 
sected with  a  great  many  valleys,  one  of  which  is  called  Kaule,  and  another  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Waday,  Niyu,  if  I  were  sure  that  they  belong  to  the  nation 
of  the  Tebu.  But  the  few  words  of  their  language  which  I  was  able  to  ascertain, 
su-ch  as  water,  fire,  are  entirely  different  from  the  coiTCsponding  words  in  modi 
Teda:  "water,"  mi  (Terauye),  eyi  (Teda) ;  "fire,"  jo  (Terauye),  wueni  (Teda). 
One  of  their  chiefs  is  Ruzzi,  who  has  become  well  known  on  account  of  his  con- 
nection with  the  mercantile  enterprise  of  'Abd  el  Kerim  Sabun,  the  King  of 
Waddy.f  This  chief,  w^ho  was  still  living  in  1851,  is  a,  Moslim,  while  most  of 
the  Terauye  are  pagans. 

*  This  name  has  obviously  nothing  to  do  with  the  name  which  the  Kanori  give  to  pagans; 
the  Tebu  called  pagans  "erdi." 
t  See  Fresnel,  Bulletin  de  la  Soc.  de  Geogr.,  1849,  Sme  serie,  t,  xL,  p.  53. 


APPENDIX  III. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  DETAILS  CONTAINED  IN  "THE  DIYAN,"  OR  AC- 
COUNT GIVEN  BY  THE  IMA'M  A  HMED  BEN  SOFI'YA  *  OF  THE  EX- 
PEDITIONS OF  THE  KING  EDRI'S  ALAWO'MA  FROM  BO'RNU  TO 
KA'NEM. 


First  Expedition. 

1  day,  Gbambam  tjjJ^^  starting  from  Birni  Ghasreggomo. 
„  Zantam 

„    Kishimuwa  ^^.^....^^^(returning  westward). 

„    Zantam  (returning  eastward). 

„    Ghotuwa  sycc 
Several  days,  Beri         ,  having  made  short  marches.  How- 
ever, the  king  did  not  encamp  in  the  town  of  Beri 
itself,  but  round  about  a  fortified  place  (iuSi^)  called 

Ghatigha  iJuli,  which  according  to  other  accounts 

was  situated  at  some  little  distance  from  the  town 
of  Beri.  Beri  was  a  celebrated  place,  on  account  of 
its  situation,  and  of  great  importance  in  the  inter- 
course between  Bornu  and  Kanem.f 


■•  See  ante,  page  20.  I  remark  once  for  all  that  the  names  in  the  MS.  are 
written  in  the  Maghrebi  or  Warash  style  ;  but  they  shall  here  be  given  in 
the  Eastern  or  A'bu  'Omar  character. 

^ 


gl8  APPENDIX. 

1  day,  Furtii  ty>yr  (arrival  at  the  time  of  the  kdila,  or  kiyii- 
la)j  passing  by  Sakala  eJXw,  a  locality  (^jUCo),  not 
an  inhabited  place,  and  by  the  town  Ghayawd  t^jLi . 
The  town  of  Furtii  or  Furtiiwa  is  of  the  greatest 
importance  in  the  geography  of  Kdnem,  as  it  is  iden- 
tical with  the  I'kli  or  I'keli  mentioned  by  Makrizi.'-' 

Imdm  A'hmed  writes  idf^ .    But  it  had  besides  a 

third  name,  viz.  Ghaljadu,  or  Ghaljaduwa  Ljc^JL^. 

Alale,  ^J^It ,  with  easterly  direction. 

Ghibuwa-kanjiyiz  y^^pjS^ '^J^ ,  a  locality,  not  an  in- 
habited place. 
Daghal  JLio 

Burum 

Eoro  jJ^ 

Keswada 

Ghumami  -.xjUx 

Sulu  or  Suliiwa  Syiy^.  This  place  in  another  pas- 
sage f  is  called  by  the  author  a  seat  of  the  Kenaniya, 
a  tribe  which  in  former  times  seems  to  have  formed 
the  principal  stock  of  the  population  of  Kanem,  and 
who  were  hostile  to  the  people  of  Bornu,  but  who 
appear  to  have  suffered  greatly  by  the  expeditions  of 
Edris.    See  further  on. 

,,  Mulgliim 

„    Kuru  or  Kuruwd 

„    Melajera,  a  river  I^.^U^  ^^^.^)\  ^^^suJI .  % 

„  Eimbawd 

„    MaVo,  written  here         but  soon  afterwards  t^Lo  and 
p.  16,  ,Lo  (even  ^^Uo  by  mistake).    He  arrived  here 

*  See  ante,  page  31.  f  MS,  p.  101. 

\  This  river  is  a  very  important  feature  in  the  country,  and  would  be  easily 
identified  if  a  traveller  were  to  visit  those  southern  re^iions  of  Kanem. 


IMA'M  A'HMED'S  ACCOUNT  OF  KA'NEM. 


619 


a  little  before  zawdl.  The  situation  of  Beri  being 
ascertained  by  ourselves,  and  that  of  MaVo  being 
laid  down  with  approximative  certainty,  the  whole 
route,  supposing  that  it  runs  in  a  tolerably  straight 
line,  could  be  described  with  some  approach  to  ex- 
actness in  a  map.  Of  course  the  uncertainty  in- 
creases as  we  pass  beyond  this  place  into  the  south- 
eastern quarter  of  Kdnem.  MaVo  was  then  a  place 
celebrated  throughout  the  whole  of  Kanem  ;  but  it 
was  not  the  residence  of  any  powerful  chief  'Abd 
el  Jelil  the  Bulala  prince  at  that  time  resided  in 
Yitukurma  (or  Yutukurma,  for  both  forms  appear  * 

^j^y^j)   and    s^Jl^yJ)    distant   from  MaVo 

"megir^  (that  is  to  say,  from  five  to  six  hours' 
march,  at  a  very  swift  rate),  in  a  S.E.  direction,  as 
it  seems. 

o  

From  MaVo  Edris  directed  his  course  to  Wasdmi 

in  a  northerly  direction  (p.  18),  distant  about  zawdl, 

while  the  host  of  the  Buldla  came  to  Kirsila  x  I     ^  ^ 

which  probably  f  lay  west  of  Wasdmi.  The  Bulala  fled 
(at  the  dhahuwe)  ;  Edris  went  towards  the  southern 
parts  of  Kdnem,  arrived  between  dhohor  and  a'^ser  at 

Mdnmana  iO-^juo ,  where  there  was  no  water. 

From  hence  to  Tasa  is^u^  or  Tusa  2CwwJ.  Arrived  about 
zawdl.  Evidently  a  large  place,  as  he  remained  here 
eight  days.    Here  the  Buldla  fled  a  second  time. 

From  Tasa,  Njlmiye  or  Shimiye  (here  written  jv^y^Jt,  a 

little  further  on  jvyrsJI,  and  a  few  lines  previously 
jiju^Jt),  before  zawdl ;  the  old  capital  before  the  time  of 


These  two  different  forms  occur  in  many  Kanuri  and  Tebu  names  : — Bulma 
and  Bilma,  burni  (as  Imam  A'hmed  always  writes)  and  birni,  and  so  on. 
f  Very  questionable  ;  the  Bulala  when  flying  retired  eastward. 


620 


APPENDIX. 


Ddud.  Unfortunately  he  does  not  add  in  what  direction 
he  went. 

Here  Edn's  had  the  Kuran  read  thrice  at  the  sepulchres  of 
the  old  kings  of  Bornu. 

From  Njimiye  Edris  went  to  A'ghdfi  ^L^Ut,  where  there 
was  a  fortified  place  of  the  Bulala  ;  arrived  at  dhohor 
(after  a  short  delay  on  the  march),  met  the  hostile  army 
there,  who  instantly  turned  their  backs. 

From  A'ghafi  to  Sendu  s^tX^Lw 

From  Sendu  to  I'Mma  £|5l 

From  I'kima  returned  to  A'ghafi,  and  celebrated  there  the 

'Aid  el  Fotr  according  to  the  old  fashion  of  Bornu. 
From  A'ghafi  to  Fifisi  jL^^jcai,  starting  in  the  evening  ; 

marched  the  whole  night,  and  arrived  in  the  morning. 
Made  here  much  booty,  'Abd  el  Jelil  having  taken  to 
flight. 

From  Fifisi  returned  to  A'ghafi  in  two  days  and  a  half, 

while  'Abd  el  Jelil  was  in  Ghasiku  tyCw«^  north  from 
A'ghdfi. 

From  A'ghdfi  Edris  went  to  Njlmiye,  starting  at  the  be- 
ginning of  a'ser  and  arriving  at  el  a'shd. 

From  Njimiye  he  then  went  to  Melima  iiJUo  from  dhohor 

till  mughreb  at  a  swift  rate. 
From  Melima  to  Ghasiku. 

From  Ghasiku  returned  to  A'ghdfi  by  Melima  and  Njimiye, 
and  resided  there  for  a  long  time,  collecting  the  chiefs 
of  the  Bulala  and  even  the  Arabs  and  the  tribe  of  Fittri, 
and  conferring  the  government  of  Kanem  on  the  faki 
Mohammed  ben  'Abd- Allah. 

From  A'ghafi  Edris  went  to  Ghamtilu  the  burial-place  of 
Biri  ben  Dunama. 

From  Ghamtilu,  southwards  to  Belaghi  ^ULS 

(While  the  King  Edris  went  to  Belaghi,  his  imam, 
A'hmed  ben  Sof  lya,  the  author  of  the  history  of  Edris'  expedi- 


IMA'M  AHMED'S  ACCOUNT  OF  KA'XEM.  621 


tions,  keeping  more  to  the  west,  visited  an  old  mosque  called 
tX.:su^*JO  apparently  one  of  the  first  places  of  Moham- 
medan worship  in  the  country.) 

From  Belaghi  Edris  went  again  southwards,  in  the  direction 

of  the  lake  ^j^-yi-Jt  ^  ^^-^uJI  is-^  ^1  to  Fisla  jJLwwj 
where  he  remained  a  long  time,  receiving  embassies  from 
Arabs  and  Kuka,  or  rather  Kuku  ^  and  Fittri. 

From  Fisla  Edris  turned  westwards  towards  Bornu  : 

First  to  Diyawa        where  he  made  some  stay. 

From  Diyawa  to  Ghala,  or  rather  Ngala,  Ul^ 

From  Ngald  to  A'wano,  jLi^t 

From  A'wano  to  'Aluwa,  s^JLt 
From  'Aluwa  (returned  ?)  to  Ngala. 

From  NgaU  to  Madaghama  jl*^Joo  where  he  was  joined 
by  Mohammed  ben  'Abd- Allah  and  his  army. 

From  Madaghama,  having  heard  that  'Abd  el  Jelil  had 
come  again  to  Yitukurma,  Edris  returned  once  more 
eastward  to  Ngala,  thence  again  to  Madaghama. 

From  Madaghama,  proceeding  straight  for  Bornu,  in  one 
long  day,  to  Sulu.  ^ 

From  Sulu  to  Keghusiti,  \k.wJL<^ 

From  Keghusiti  to  Siki,  a^Xlu^  jJLJI,  which  at  that  time 

formed  the  frontier  between  Bornu  and  Kdnem,  on  which 
account  the  drum  was  there  beaten. 
From  Siki  to  the  district  of  the  Sugurti  or  Sukurti 

From  Sugurti  to  Bulughi  ^^Jb 

From  Bulughi  to  Ngughiiti  (Nguruti)  205^5-^ ,  further  on 
From  iSTgughuti  to  Beri. 

But  his  return  to  Bornu  was  frustrated  ;  for,  havino:  learnt 
in  Berl  the  news  of  a  battle  fought  between  'Abd  el  Jelil  and 


622 


APPENDIX. 


Mohammed,  whom  he  had  made  governor  of  Kdnem,  near 
Yitukurma,  in  which  the  latter  was  apparently  vanquished, 
he  returned  once  more  to  the  east,  dividing  his  army  into  two 
portions,  and  taking  only  one  division  with  him. 

From  Beri  to  Ghatighi  (here  written  aLR^'Lt)  the  same 

fortified  place  which  has  been  before  mentioned  as  lying 
quite  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Beri,  and  where  the 
armies  used  to  assemble. 

From  Ghatighi  or  Ghatiga  to  Ngughuti. 

From  Ngughuti  to  Buliighi. 

From  Buliighi  to  Kirteti  (?) 

From  Kirteti  to  Keerhusiti. 

From  Keghusiti  to  Kirikmi 

From  Kirikmi  to  Gharni-Kiyala  ^iUS^  (5^/^  ^  large  walled 
town,  evidently  one  of  the  two  Kiyala  mentioned  (p. 
484)  as  belonging  to  Shitati. 

From  Gharni-Kiydla  to  Yesembu  l^-j-^-CLs  starting  in  the 
night,  at  a  swift  rate,  and  reaching  the  place  after  sun- 
rise ;  but  apparently  it  did  not  lie  in  his  way,  as  he  re- 
turned from  thence  into  the  direct  road. 

From  hence  to  Wasdmi. 

From  AVasami  to  Melima,  reaching  it  at  the  kdila  (about 
eleven  o'clock). 

From  Melima  to  Njimiye  (east),  arriving  in  the  evening. 

From  Njimiye  to  A'ghafi,  or  the  fortress  of  A'ghafi,  start- 
ing after  midnight,  and  arriving  before  sunrise.  Pursu- 
ing thence  'Abd  el  Jelil,  he  caught  part  of  his  Zmala, 
with  the  queen  Ghumsu  Wabi. 

From  A'ghafi  returned  to  Njimiye. 

(The  khalifa  Yerlma  Yagha,  whom  Edris  had  left  with  the 
sick  in  Wasami,  j)ursuing  his  march  from  thence  at  a 
slow  rate  towards  the  north  (JU^Jt  2Lg^  ^1),  went 

first  to  Diru^c> 
From  Diru  to  Madhimi 


IMA'M  AHMED'S  ACCOUXT  OF  KA'XEM. 


623 


From  Madhimi  to  Njimiye,  where  lie  met  Edris.) 
From  Njimiye  Edris  went  eastwards  to  Kawdl  Jii 

Arrived  at  dhahawe  (about  nine  o'clock  a.m.). 
From  Kawal  he  started  at  midnight ;  went  first  south,  at 

dawn  turned  eastwards  gradually  towards  the  north, 

and  fell  upon  the  Tebu  (evidently  about  the  Bahr  el 

Ghazal). 

Keturned  from  this  predatory  excursion  to  Kawal. 

From  Kawal  returning  to  Njimiye  [apparently  by  a  long 

detour],  went  first  to  Saghi  (Sheghi,  Shiri  ?)  which 
he  reached  at  sunset. 
From  Saghi,  starting  before  sunrise,  reached  Njimiye  by 

way  of  I'kma  x^M  and  Ghurfala  JlswC- 

The  return  of  Edris  to  Njimiye  happened  just  at  the  right 
time  ;  for  the  Bulala  king,  who  had  received  the  news  of 
Edris'  return  to  Kanem  on  his  way  to  Bagirmi,  or  as  it  is 
here  written,  in  the  form  usual  to  the  Kanuri,  Bagharmi 

^JjlS  led  his  host  against  the  Bomu  army,  and  had  al- 
most succeeded  in  taking  the  camp  by  surprise,  when 
Edris  arrived  and  compelled  him  to  fly. 
From  Njimiye  Edris  now  went  to  Ghimara  l^it 

From  Ghimara,  in  a  southerly  direction,  to  Satom  a 

place  close  to  Yitukurma. 
From  Satom  to  Daghelii  or  Daghelwa  I^JLc.t>,  where  'Abd 

el  Jelil  had  taken  up  his  residence,  but  fled.  [Daghelu, 
most  probably,  is  identical  with  Taghghel.] 
Keturning  from  Daghelu  to  Satom,  Edris  met  his  vizier  in 
Kargha-Simsim  i^j^j^  xh^^     [consequently  Daghelu 

lay  south  from  Kargha,  or  in  the  southern  part  of 
Kargha]. 

In  Simsim,  Edris  had  a  conference  with  some  Arabs 


*  In  my  MS.,  before  this  name  there  is  a  slight  mistake,  caused  by  a  repe- 
tition of  the  first  part  of  the  name. 


G24 


APPENDIX. 


5  9 

[Shiiwa]  and  Tebu  or  Tubu  ^  as  A'limed  generally  writes 
tlie  name.  The  latter  chose  to  migrate  to  Bornu,  while  the 
former,  who  enjoyed  a  strict  alUance  with  the  Bornu  king, 
remained  behind  in  Kanem. 

From  Simsim  Edris  went  northwards  to  Bari  [evi- 
dently the  district  mentioned  above].  (The  vizier  also, 
whom  Edris  had  left  behind  in  Satom,  in  order  to  meet 
his  master  in  Simsim,  had  traversed  Bari).* 
From  Bari  Edris  went  to  Mando  ^  JOU  [Mando  Yagore]. 
From  Mando  Edris  went  northwards,  when  he  became 
aware  that  the  enemy  was  marching  westwards,  and 
changed  his  march  till  he  came  to  Kitaki  (?)  jJLJI 

'Abd  el  Jelll,  being  pursued,  fled  into  the  desert. 

(The  officer  Mldala  ben  Fatima,  left  in  Mando,  followed 
his  king  slowly,  but  nevertheless,  on  starting  from  Mando, 
did  not  encamp  before  he  had  passed  MaVo. 

Having  in  this  encampment  received  the  order  to  come  to 
Yira,  he  went  first  to  Ylkima 

Thence  to  Yira        where  he  arrived  at  the  time  of  the 

hejir,  that  is  to  say,  a  little  past  twelve  o'clock. 

From  hence  he  went  to  Sitati  (probably  Shitdti)  hJh^ 

(thus  written  thrice). f 
From  Shitati  Edris  turned  westwards  on  his  home-journey 

to  Bornu,  but  encamped  the  first  day  quite  near,  where 

the  Arabs  (Shuwa)  took  leave  of  him. 


*  In  Bdri  the  vizier  fell  in  with  a  kafila  of  strangers  whom  he  plundered : 

Kauma  probably  was  a  governor  of  the  town  Kau,  the  place  of  Shitati  men- 
tioned p.  607.  A'hel  el  A'rmi  has  evidently  a  connection  with  the  mesjed  A'rmi 
mentioned  before.  ^ 

f  It  is  evident  from  this,  that  the  name  t^sia.^  above  is  a  mere  lapse  of 
the  pen. 


IMAM  A'HMED'S  ACCOUNT  OF  KA'NEM.  Q25 

From  hence  lie  proceeded  slowly  to  Beri,*  where  the  booty 
was  di\dded,  and  all  those  among  the  captives  who  were 
free  men  allowed  to  return  to  their  families  or  tribes, 
without  any  ransom,  according  to  a  very  remarkable 
custom  observed  from  ancient  times  by  the  Bulala,  in 
their  predatory  incursions  into  Bornu — a  first  germ  of 
international  law. 


Second  Expedition. 

Scarcely  had  Edris  Alawoma  dismissed  his  governors  and 
officers,  in  order  to  prepare  all  that  was  wanted  for  another 
expedition  into  Kanem,  when  he  received  the  news  that  his 
indefatigable  and  harassing  enemy  had  come  into  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Buluji,  or  Bulughi. 

Edris  therefore  hastened  back  from  his  favourite  town 
Ghambaru,  when  'Abd  el  Jelil  turned  off  towards  the  north 

to  Kara  5^-^  or  Kura     ^  and  Jitkii  fyCc^  [probably  so 

called  from  the  Tebu  tribe  of  that  name],  while  Edris  ben 
Hariin,  the  faithful  and  valiant  vizier  of  the  Bornu  king,  was 

stationed  in  the  neighbouring  town  of  Butti  iui . 

Edris  came  from  Beri  to  Ghayawa  (^JLc. ,  where  he  met  his 
vizier. 

From  Ghayawd  he  came  to  the  district  of  the  Sugurti 
arriving  about  the  a'sha. 

From  Sugurti  he  went  to  "the  red  water LJt. 

From  this  place,  instead  of  taking  the  road  by  Sulii,  he 
kept  more  to  the  north,  reached  a  copious  well  at  zawdl 
(between  twelve  and  one  o'clock),  started  again  at  a'ser, 

and  reached  at  sunset  the  well  Rubki  xXjn  or  Rubku 

^JoJ  with  irrigated  plantations  (khattatir). 

*  Beri  is  here  once  written  i^Xj  by  mistake;  in  another  place  it  is  written 

Vol.  II.— E  r 


626 


APPENDIX. 


From  Eubku,  starting  at  midnight,  reached  I'kerima 
3s^y^\  where  'Abd  el  Jelil  had  taken  up  his  residence, 

about  zawal,  made  a  great  booty  ;  the  BuMla  king  fled. 
Edris  returned  from  I'kerima  to  Eubku  in  two  days  and  a 
haE 

From  Eubku  he  returned  to  Beri,  and  from  thence  re- 
turned to  Ghambaru,  as  it  would  seem  from  Imam  A'hmed's 
account,  at  an  enormously  swift  rate,  traversing  the  space 
from  Beri  to  Ghambaru,  130  geogr.  miles  in  a  straight  line, 
in  about  25  hours'  actual  march. 

Start  from  Beri  at  a'ser,  arrive  at  Kebiiwa  8^4^  at  the 
a'shd. 

Start  from  Kebiiwa  in  the  morning,  arrive  at  Kikeri 

}iyd=L^  at  the  kaila. 
Start  from  Kikeri  in  the  afternoon,  arrive  at  Debiibu 

or  &jj-34>  at  the  a'sha. 
Start  from  Debubu  in  the  morning,  arrive  at  Euwdyah 

2ulj^  at  the  kdila. 
From  hence  Ghambaru,  a  few  miles,  from  the  beginning 
tiU  the  end  of  a'ser. 


Third  Expeditioit. 

Edris  having  rested  but  a  short  time,  immediately  pre- 
pared another  expedition,  in  order  to  return  to  Kanem  before 
the  gathering  in  of  the  dates. 

The  army  collected  in  Ghatigha  close  to  Beri. 

Setting  out  from  thence,  along  the  shores  of  the  Tsdde,  or 

Tsddi       ^^.jSUJI  o^aj  y^^^  he  went  to  Ngughuti. 

From  Ngughuti  to  Buluji. 
From  Buluji  to  the  district  of  the  Sugurti. 
From  hence  to  Eoro,  from  whence  he  sent  his  light  and 
choice  cavalry  in  advance. 


IMA'M  A'HMED'S  ACCOUNT  OF  KA'NEM.  627 


From  Koro  to  Kimisno  jJLJI  arrived  at  zawal. 

From  Kimisno,  starting  at  the  beginning  of  the  a'ser,  at  a 

very  swift  rate,  reached  before  sunset  Lebd  LJ ,  a  cele- 
brated locality  with  artificial  irrigation. 

From  Leba,  proceeding  in  an  easterly  direction,  to  Ghami 
Kiyala,  in  two  days  and  a  half. 

From  Gharni  Kiyala,  starting  at  a'ser,  following  an  east- 
erly direction,  for  I'sembii,  or  Yisembu,  dismounting 
only  at  sunset  to  cook,  and  feed  the  horses  ;  and  thus 
continuing  on  the  whole  night,  and  only  dismounting 
again  to  say  the  prayer  of  dawn,  Edris  continued  his 
march  till  he  had  passed  Wasami,  which  was  near 
Yisembu,  evidently  towards  the  west,  and  made  a  rich 
booty. 

From  Yisembti  he  went  to  Delli  «j5  jJLJt  which  was 

famous  on  account  of  its  richness  in  dates,  and  its  gen- 
eral exuberance.  Here  he  gathered  the  dates  in  all  the 
different  stages  of  maturity. 

From  Delli,  Edris  turned  westwards,  in  order  to  join  the 
officer  Yiruma  Yaghd,  when,  receiving  intelligence  that 
the  Tebu  wanted  to  cut  him  off,  he  attacked  them,  and 
made  an  immense  slaughter. 

Went  from  hence  to  "the  great  well" — name  not  given. 

From  hence  to  Ghami  Kiyala,  following  an  experienced 
Tebu  guide. 

From  Gharni  Kiydla  Edris  turned  eastward  towards  the 
places  or  valleys  rich  in  date-trees.  Encamped  in  a 
vale  iuLftj 

From  hence  he  went  without  stopping  till  he  reached  Yidh 
or  Yldhi        a  place  especially  famous  on  account 
of  its  dates. 

From  hence  he  turned  southwards,  and  went  to  Fogha 
ik£.yi  hkewise  rich  in  dates.  (Another  place  with  date- 
trees  is  here  mentioned,  of  the  name  of  Debekii.) 


G28 


APPENDIX. 


From  Fogha  back  to  Belli,  or  ratber  a  little  beyond  it. 
From  hence  in  several  days,  in  a  southerly  direction,  he 

went  to  I'wana  iu^l^,  in  the  southern  part  of  Kanem. 
From  hence,  by  way  of  Delmi,  he  went  to  Daghelu  or 

Daghulwa,  here  written  l«J^5,  the  place  above-men- 
tioned, but  which,  on  this  occasion,  the  historian  repre- 
sents as  a  place  especially  celebrated  with  the  people  of 
Kanem,  and  at  that  time  extremely  wealthy.  Slept  on 
the  shore  of  the  lagoons,  as  his  whole  road  led  through 
numbers  of  lagoons  or  ponds,  just  then  full  of  water  ; 
arriving  the  next  morning  at  the  town,  found  it  empty, 
but  the  Koyam,  and  those  of  his  army  who  were  mount- 
ed upon  camels,  followed  the  people  northwards,  and 
made  rich  booty. 
The  king  of  the  Bulala  and  his  party  meanwhile  fled  into 
the  desert. 

Edris  returned  homewards  towards  Bornu. 

First  to  NgaM,  a  cluster  of  villages,  or  rather  district 

ULi  ^1  y  U£  JJLJ! 
From  Ngald  to  Tentebii  I^Jjuo 
From  Tentebu  to  Koro. 

From  Koro  northwards  to  Siru        .     In  going,  Edris 

employed  a  day  and  a  night  ULJ  ^  Lo^  but  on  return- 
ing from  Siru  to  Koro  only  marched  from  morning  till 
sunset,  so  that  the  distance  cannot  be  very  great,  as  he 
was  then  laden  with  spoil  (a  great  booty  in  cattle  and 
goats,  but  no  camels). 

From  Koro  to  Limara  tJUJ ,  where  he  stopped  two  days. 
From  thence  to  Ghayawa. 

From  Ghayawa  he  took  another  road  to  Dilara  t^Uj  where 
he  left  half  of  his  army,  returning  with  the  other  half  to 
Ghambaru. 


IMA'M  A'HMED'S  ACCOUNT  OF  KA'NEM. 


629 


Fourth*  Expedition. 


The  next  year,  on  the  first  Sunday  in  Shawdl,  Edris  again 
left  Ghambaru,  reached  Kesiida  by  way  of  Zamtam,  I'tandwa, 
Beri.  Ngiiruti  or  Ngughuti,  Sugurti,  Roro. 

From  Kesuda,  leaving  the  road  to  Ghumami  on  one  side, 
he  went  to  Siki. 


From  Ririkma  to  Wagham 
From  Wagham  to  Wasami. 

From  Wasami  to  Ma' wo  or  Mawo,  here  written  I^Lo 
From  MaVo  to  Ghamira 

From  Ghamird  to  Njimiye,  the  chief  town  of  Kanem 


From  Njimiye  to  Belaghi,  taking  with  him  a  great  provi- 
sion of  water. 

From  Beldghi  to  A'ghafi  ;  starting  at  a'ser,  arrived  before 
sunset. 

From  A'ghafi  to  Ghanjdya,  arriving  near  zawal. 


In  their  fortified  encampment  near  this  place  the  Bornu 
army  on  the  25th  Dhu  el  kada,  was  attacked  at  night  by  the 
Bulala,  when  a  very  severe  struggle  ensued,  and  the  camp 
was  almost  taken  by  the  enemy  with  great  slaughter  of  the 
Bornu  people,  and  considerable  loss  of  property. 

From  Ragharku  Edris  went  to  Delli,  when  the  Buldla  gave 
up  their  last  stronghold,  Agho  or  f^t ,  a  very  old 
place  which  they  had  rebuilt  and  restored  after  Edris 
had  destroyed  all  their  strongholds  in  Kanem,  even  the 
two  other  most  famous  places  I'kima  and  A'ghdfi.f 

*  According  to  Imam  A'hmed,  this  was  the  fifth  expedition  which  the  king 
had  undertaken. 

f  I  shall  here  insert  the  whole  passage  of  the  historian,  which  is  of  the  high- 
est importance.    (See  following  page.) 


From  Siki  to  Ririkma 


(330  APPENDIX. 

Agli6  was  evidently  situated  on  the  brink  of  the  vale  or 
hollow  (xjtib)  which  we  passed  on  our  march,  the  10th 
of  October  ;  and  Delli  is  identical  with  the  place  men- 
tioned above  among  the  most  important  inhabited  spots 
of  Shitati. 

From  Delli  Edris  went  southwards  towards  Kelu  jjj  very 
slowly,  till  they  crossed  the  river  which  divides  Kanem 
Kelu  J*  and  he  pursued  his  march  till  he  came  to  Listeri 

Lgexs  \^j^i<s>  IpL^  ^  LLJ  IpL^  f*"S^^V?  ^  ^^^^^  JblAit  aui 
LdiJI^  ^^X^^  Hj^-g^cLtJI  ioLLiJI  ^UlJI 

jviit  ^^^^  e'-^^'  V;^  HjJ^t 

j»yiJ(  (Jjij  JJii  Lo->t  ^  LgJj^t>LLJt  iXij^  ^  [♦■-S^^l 

^jJI  Ji^jJLJt  >l  ^  ly^  cXlf  ^\  '^\^  ^^LJ 

*  This  passage  is  of  the  highest  interest ;  and  I  therefore  give  the  words  of 
the  author : 

LLp    LL^    idf  tX-L?    ^    (J-^S^^I  ^S^b 
y  jjjo  ^  Ji'  tXlJt   ^15'  (j-o  ^jJI  ^j^^t  l;;^b> 

The  author  evidently  speaks  of  a  watercourse,  and  not  of  a  dry  valley ;  but  it 
is  not  clear  whether  it  be  an  independent  river  or  part  of  the  Tsad.  Compare 
the  passage  in  the  preceding  note,  where  he  speaks  about  this  same  Kelu,  and 

calls  it^j^VjJI  f^^yO  Ht^kXxJt  J  and  the  note  ( *  )  on  the  following  page. 


IMA'M  AHMED'S  ACCOUNT  OF  KA'XEM. 


631 


^^JuJ  a  place  which  is  stated  to  have  belonged  for- 
merly to  the  tribe  of  the  Kilabeti  ^^t^and  which  con- 
tained a  great  number  of  cottages  or  tents  v^y^juJI  s^-^^ 
I  should  believe  that  Kelu  is  the  country  of  the  Kaleama 
in  the  south-eastern  quarter  of  the  Tsad,  if  anything 
were  said  about  his  having  crossed  Bar!  and  Kargha  ; 
but  at  least  it  is  evident  that  it  was  a  distant  march  of 
several  days. 

From  Kelu,  Edris  returned  northwards,  and  fought  a  san- 
guinary battle  with  'Abd  el  Jelil,  the  Bulala  king,  be- 
fore Kiyayaka  (a  little  further  on  less  correct 

Kiyayaka  was  a  district  where  the  Bulala,  after  their  other 
strongholds  I'kima,  A'ghafi,  and  Agho  had  been  destroyed, 
had  built  a  new  fortress,  at  the  instigation,  it  is  said,  of  the 
princesses.  This  fortification,  or  rather  group  of  three  differ- 
ent forts,  Yeki  ^^Xj,  Makaranna  &jjjCo,  and  Kurkuriwa 
5^^$^, ■'*'•"  became  a  large  and  important  place,  the  Bulala 
transferring  thither  by  force  the  inhabitants  from  all  parts  of 
Kanem,  with  the  exception  of  those  of  Tetaluwa  or  Tetalu 
and  A'fagi  ^"Ul  .f    But  principally  they  settled  there 

*  I  give  here  this  passage,  which  is  curious : 

^  ^^Xj  —  ^^y^  lX-LJL  iU5^jJI  ty-o  jjt 

5  jJI  jJLJb  lyj  ^  ifJS  jJo  ^  ^^jSuJb  iLLoLo  v^b' 

f  The  first  of  these  names  is  evidently  connected  with  the  name  of  the  tribe 
of  the  Tetala,  a  section  of  the  large  nation  of  the  So  or  Soy,  who,  having  been 
almost  annihilated  by  this  same  king  Edris,  retired  into  the  swampy  grounds  of 
the  Tsad,  see  ante,  page  586.  The  name  A'fagi  reminds  one  of  A'fage ;  but  this 
i.s  not  a  town  of  Kunem,  and  cannot  certainly  be  meant  here. 


632 


APPENDIX. 


all  the  Tebu,  even  the  Keserda  QS^j^)  most  probably  a 
mistake  instead  of  Sakerda,  so  that  but  few  of  this  tribe  re- 
mained behind  in  Kanem.  The  Bulala  made,  moreover,  strict 
alliance  with  the  people  of  the  south  J^O? 
people  of  Kargha,  in  order  to  provide  them  with  corn,  which 
they  bought  with  tobes  and  cattle.  This  intercourse  ceased 
only  when  Edris  came  to  Kagharku. 

The  battle  which  was  fought  near  this  important  place  of 
Kiyayaka,  was  won  by  the  king  Edris  through  his  personal 
valour,  after  much  slaughter  on  both  sides,  when  he  entered 
the  town,  and  having  encamped  there  for  two  days,  all  the 
time  beating  the  drum,  burnt  the  whole  place. 

From  Kiyayaka  Edris  went  eastward  to  Mi  xjo  jJLj  prob- 
ably the  place  of  this  name  mentioned  above  as  belong- 
ing to  Shitati,  although  this  would  carry  back  the  situa- 
tion of  Kiyayaka  very  far  westward,  as  from  the  author's 
words  it  appears  that  the  distance  between  both  places 
was  considerable. 
(Meanwhile  his  vizier  pursued  ' Abd  el  J elil  to  Kawal,  evi- 
dently the  place  mentioned  above  ; 
From  Kawal  to  Kuwaka  x5^l^ 

From  Kuwaka  to  I'tanawa,  also  mentioned  on  a  former 
occasion. 

From  I'tanawa,  while  'Abd  el  J  elil  fled  into  the  open  des- 
ert, the  vizier  Edris  fell  upon  the  Tebu  and  made  great 
plunder.  He  went  thence  and  joined  his  master  the 
sultan  in  Mi,  where  they  celebrated  the  'Aid  el  keblr.) 

From  Mi,  Edris  returned  to  Kiyayaka. 

(From  Kiyayaka  the  king  sent  Farkama  Mohammed  to 

KdlaLtl?  0J^\  ^'1.) 
Edris  himself  went  from  Kiyayaka  to  Ghariku,  where  he 
had  a  long  conference  with  the  Arabs. 

From  Ghariku  he  proceeded  a  great  distance  northwards 

on  an  expedition  against  the  Tebu,  while  he  sent  the 

heavy  part  of  his  army  to  Njimiye. 


IMA'M  AHMED'S  ACCOUNT  OF  KA'NEM. 


633 


Having  vanquished  the  Tebu,  he  returned  to  Tmu  iU-o 

From  Tinu  to  Njimiye,  south,  from  dhohor  to  sunset,  and 
from  morning  to  zawal. 

In  Njimiye  the  Tebu  came  to  make  their  submission,  and 
in  the  sansanne  (evidently  the  fortified  camp  of  his  army), 
which  the  sultan  then  entered,  he  received  legations  from  the 

inhabitants  of  Fittri  jJLJt  Jl;c|  and  from  the  Arab  or 

Shuwa  chief  'Ali  ben  Yerdha,  and  a  messenger  from  the  tribe 
of  the  Kiika  xJU  ySy^  ^^^^^-^  (what  Mili  is  I  do  not  know, 
but  suppose  it  to  be  the  name  of  a  particular  spot  or  division 
of  the  Kiika).  During  his  stay  here  he  was  plentifully  sup- 
plied with  corn'' by  the  Arabs. 

(From  Njimiye  Edris  sent  part  of  his  army  in  pursuit  of 
'Abd  el  Jelil,  who  had  turned  westwards,  and  then  probably 
to  the  north,  for  the  Bornu  men  directed  their  course  first  to 
the  northward,  but,  having  gone  to  a  great  distance  without 
finding  'Abd  el  Jelil,  gave  up  their  pursuit,  and  ransacked 

the  town  Kiriwa 

From  Kiriwa  they  went  to  MaVo  to  wait  for  the  sultan.) 

Edris  himself  went  fi:om  Njimiye  westward  to  Ghamira  \^4£, 
made  an  alliance  with  its  inhabitants. 

From  Ghamird  southward  to  (?*)^  and  remained  there 
some  time. 

From  this  place,  which  is  somewhere  in  the  south  about 
Kargha,  Edris  returned  to  MaVo,  where  he  met  his 
people. 

From  Ma' wo  Edris  began  his  home-journey  to  Bornu  : 
First  to  Malehi  ^^Lo 
From  Malehi  to  Miili  Ghim  and  Muli  Full 

*  Here  is  an  omission  in  the  text,  p.  99. 


634 


APPENDIX. 


From  Mull  to  Sulu  where  he  fixed  his  camp  in  a 

place  called  Fiyu  ^ 
From  Sulii  to  Kesudd      ...  ^ 

From  Kesudd,  by  the  well-known  places  Koro,  Sugurti, 
Buluji,  Ngughuti,  to  the  celebrated  place  Ghatigha,  or 
Ghatighi,  near  Beri. 

From  Ghatigha  to  I'tanawa,  starting  at  a'ser  and  arriving 
at  ashd. 

From  I'tandwa  to  Kuwaya. 

From  Euwaya  to  Ghambaru. 

Fifth  Expedition. 

Having  spent  ten  days  in  his  favourite  place  Ghambarti  in 
great  festivity,  Edris  prepared  another  expedition  to  Kanem 
against  the  tribe  of  the  Kenamye  iLoLuCt  I  have 

already  spoken  of  this  tribe  on  a  former  occasion  ;  *  and  I 
must  confess  that  I  doubt  whether  the  name  Kenaniye  be 
indigenous,  but  rather  think  that  the  people  who  bear  it  are 
identical  with  the  Haddada,  or  Bongu,  who  seem  to  have 
once  formed  a  very  numerous  tribe,  and  may  have  been  the 
original  inhabitants  of  Kanem  altogether.  At  that  time  the 
principal  seat  of  this  remarkable  tribe  was  Sulu,  the  place 
mentioned  already  repeatedly,  and  were  therefore  generally 
known  under  the  name  of    the  people  of  Sulii  J^f  • 

But  being  afraid  of  the  Bornu  king,  whose  wrath  they  had 
provoked  by  their  predatory  habits,  they  left  their  seats, 
while  he  was  returning  from  Kanem,  and  retired  to  Kargha 

Edris  collected  his  army  in  Fakara  about  middle  of  Jumad  I. 

*  Ante,  p.  31. 

f  The  author  adds  the  interesting  words  (p.  103) : 


IMA'M  A'HMED'S  ACCOUNT  OF  KA'NEM. 


635 


From  Fakard  he  went  to  Dalikina  jlaXI5  ;  arrived  at  kdila. 

From  Dalikina  to  Madawa  s^l      ;  arrived  at  kaila. 

From  Madawa  to  Keri  Kuriiku  ^IS^S,  arriving  at  noon. 

From  Keri  Kuruku  to  Keri  or  Kuri  Keramnu  TiyXjoS  liS 

From  Kerammi  to  Wurni  xi^^ ,  arriving  at  kaila. 

From  Wurni  to  Lebiidu,  arriving  at  noon. 
From  LebMu  to  Kesuda. 

Then  by  Buluji  Beri  [erroneously  written  for  Burrum],  to 
Koro. 

Having  arrived  at  Koro  at  noon,  he  left  it  again  at  a'ser, 
said  the  prayers  of  mughreb  at  a  ghadir  called  Kitanaka 

&5^U^,  started  again  in  the  evening,  and  arrived  at  SiM 

about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

In  Siki  he  divided  his  army  into  three  parts,  one  going 

o 

with  the  keghamma  southwards  to  Kirikma  iiJo^^  and 

other  places  of  the  Kenaniye,  another  with  the  Yerima, 
northwards,  to  Mdy  and  the  district  thereabouts,  inhabited 
by  the  same  tribe. 

Edris  himself  took  the  middle  road  towards  Didi  (5Jo<^ 

and  other  places  in  the  neighbourhood,  made  a  great  plunder 
(about  one  thousand  slaves),  and  then  turned  back. 

From  Didi  to  Ririkma,  where  he  arrived  at  a'ser. 

From  Kirikma  he  went  and  encamped  near  a  celebrated 
cthel-tree  which  marked  the  very  frontier  of  Kanem,  having 
rested  during  the  heat  a  couple  of  hours  at  the  ghadir  or  pond 
of  Kitandka,  where  he  arrived  at  zawal. 

From  the  frontier  (which  must  have  been  somewhere  near 
Siki ;  see  above)  to  Koro. 

(From  thence  by  the  great  road  to  Birni.) 

From  Koro  to  Burrum  [here  again  by  mistake  Beri  is 
written]. 

From  Burrum  to  Buluji. 

From  Buluji  to  Fiirtu. 


G36 


APPENDIX. 


From  Fiirtu  to  Melfifi  (not  a  town,  but  a  pond  or  basin 
^^aaaJU-j  ^^.♦jwwlJI  apparently  not  far  from  Beri. 

From  Melfifi  to  the  place  Merdali  ^JOjJo  jJLJI 
From  Merdali  to  Ghuwi  Kefukwa  syj^-o        ,  where  he 

met  a  caravan  of  Bornu  and  Tebu  merchants  with 
plenty  of  horses. 
From  thence  to  Ghighir  ysu^Li  o^^lJI  JJLJI,  starting  at 

dhohor,  and  arriving  at  the  end  of  a'ser. 

From  Ghighir  to  Ghiskiru  t^^^X^  jJLJI 
From  thence  to  Zamtam. 

From  Zamtam  to  Ghambaru,  having  crossed  the  river 

From  Ghambaru  to  Birni,  or  Burni,  in  the  evening. 

The  result  of  this  expedition  had  been  that  the  tribe  of 
the  Kenamye,  which  had  hitherto  been  the  most  numerous 
in  Kanem,  was  entirely  humiliated. 


Last  Expedition  to  the  Borders  of  Kanem. 

"When  Edris  received  the  news  in  Birni  that  Mohammed 
ben  'Abd  Allah,  whom  he  had  made  king  of  Kanem,  had 
vanquished  the  Bulala  king  'Abd  el  Jelil,  chiefly  with  the 
assistance  of  the  Arabs,  or  Shuwa,  and  especially  that  of  the 
powerful  chief  'Ali  ben  Yerdha,  he  returned  once  more  to 
Kanem  in  shawal,  going 

From  Ghambaru  to  Zamtam  ; 

From  Zamtam  to  Ghetii  ; 

From  Ghetu  to  Milu  ; 

From  Milu  to  Leda  |jj 

From  Leda  to  Burkumuwa  ^ySy^ 

From  Burkumuwa  to  Ghawali 

From  Ghawali  to  Milti  ; 

From  Milti  to  Beri,  here  written  xjo 

From  Beri  to  Ghayawd  ; 


IMA'M  A'UMED'S  ACCOUNT  OF  KA'NEil. 


G37 


From  Hugliuiglnila  to  Koro  ; 
From  Koro  to  Kesiida. 

From  Kesiida  to  Siki,  here  distinguished  by  the  surname 
aioii>  (sic). 

Here  he  met  the  new  Idng  of  Kdnem,  Mohammed  ben 
'Abd  Allah,  and  had  a  conference  with  him  on  the  subject 
of  the  borders  of  their  respective  kingdoms  ;  and  they  stipu- 
lated that  the  whole  of  Keghusti  and  the  whole  of  Siru 
(Shiri),  as  well  as  Babaliya,  should  belong  to  Bornu."-'''  The 
latter  condition,  in  particular,  is  of  great  interest. 

Mohammed  ben  'Abd  Allah  took  an  oath  of  obedience, 
and  in  conformity  the  officers  of  the  Buldla  took  two  oaths, 
— the  first  to  the  king  of  Bomu,  and  the  second  to  that  of 
/  Kdnem. 

Having  held  a  review  of  the  army,  Edris  returned  by  Slid, 
Koro,  Dilaram,  Buluji,  Ghayawd,  Beri,  Multi,  Didi,  Milu, 
Kuwaya,  Berselma,  Ghatawa,  and  across  the  komadugu 
^^\.jfJ\  ^^-^vjJt  to  Birni. 


APPENDIX  IV. 


ACCOUNT  OF  THE  VARIOUS  DETACHMENTS  OF  CAVALRY  COMPOSING  THE 
BO'RNU  ARMY  IN  THE  EXPEDITION  TO  MU'SGU. 


Lawan  Haji,  the  chief  of  the  A'mjege,  who  had  his  residence  in  A'mdage. 
Fugo  Derman  ('Abd  e'  Rahman),  from  Bainge. 

Fugo  A'dige,  from  M'alemri,  one  of  the  villages  belonging  to  the  district  "Woloje. 

Fugo  I'nus  (Yunes),  from  Malewa. 

Fiigo  Derman,  from  Wolamsay. 

Fugo  Kolone,  chief  of  the  Saraji,  from  Yelowenni. 

Mai  Ashe,  chief  of  the  M'ayin,  from  A'shegri. 

Fugo  Palama,  from  Palamari. 

Fugo  Hamma,  from  Magariya. 

Mafonima,  from  Mafoni, 

Fugo  jVIohammed,  from  Aisarem. 

Fugo  Kore,  from  Kermgur. 

Lawan  Hamed,  from  Karawaru. 

Lawan  Mohammed,  from  Gdbewo. 

Fugo  A'dam,  from  Kaje. 

Lawan  Sllman,  from  Sliman. 

Mai  Kalama,  from  Kala. 

Fugo  Hamed  (generally  called  A'hii  Daud),  the  chief  of  the  Kohalema,  from 

Kumbeda,  to  the  north  of  Yedi'.* 
Sheikh  Sale,  from  Molut,  with  about  one  hundred  horse. 
Sheikh  Tauru,  from  Ngomati. 

Fiigo  Badawe,  son  of  Haj  Beshir,  with  a  few  horses. 


(a.)  The  Shuwa  or  Native  Arabs. 


(b.)  Kanuri^free  Men  and  Slaves. 


Slaves  of  the  Sheikh  : 

Kashella  Belal  

'All  Marghi  

Kashella  Sale  

K.  'Abdellehi  ('Abd- Allah)  

K.  Zay  

K.  'Ah'-Dendal  

Three  other  petty  officers,  together,  with 


Heavy  Cavalry, 
or  Libbedi. 


30 
.30 
20 
16 
20 
20 
0 


200 
100 
80 
150 
90 
21 


•  Each  of  these  Shuwa  chiefs  had  some  hundred  horsemen  ^v^th  him.  Only  tivo  great  chiefs 
did  not  join  the  expedition,  namely,  Mohammed  Kunewu,  the  chief  of  Shegawu,  and  Lawan 
Gibdo,  from  Lerdo. 


DETACHMENTS  OF  THE  BO'RNU  CAVALRY. 


639 


oi            /•  x-L    -IT-  •  i^ignt      Heavy  (.avairy, 

Slaves  of  the  Vizier :  Cavalry.  or  Libbedi. 

KJdto                                                                    200  34 

K.  Kheralla   150  20 

K.  K6btar  A'jime   140  25 

K.  Hdji  KakaA\'u   80  15 

K.Tumbede   100  18 

K.  Baso   40  10 

Mounted  Musketeers  of  the  Sheikh : 

K.  Abdellehi  (diflferent  from  the  one  mentioned)   20  0 

K.  Zerma.....   30  0 

K.  Magaji                                                                   10  0 

K.  Bfllama  (my  friend)   32  0 

K.  Mallare   20  0 

Musketeers  of  the  Vizier  : 

K.  Meheme   10  .  0 

K  Fatalla   8  0 

K.  Masiid   10  0 

HdjiUrfay   100  16 

Haji  Eamadhan   60  12 

Bedawe   50  0 

Mala  Masa  Mandara   30  0 

Yagha  Ghana   80  20 

M'allem  Chddeli   100  10 

Mohammed  Gajemi   60  1 

Mohammed  Bu  'Alagh   20  0 

Legiwodda   40  8 

Kashella 'Omar   50  G 

K.  'Omar  D6ra   30  0 

Waseli  (an  officer  of  Mestrema,  the  chief  eunuch)   40  10 

K.  'AH  Agiin  (attendant  of  Abaiso)   28  8 

K.  Baggar  (another  officer  of  the  same)   40  0 

A'mji  (a  man  of  Dighama)   30  1 

K.  Mohammed  Marghi  (an  officer  of 'Abd  e'  Eahman)   80  5 

Shitima  M'adu   30  0 

Shitima  Yoma  (governor  of  Y6,  with  the  Mobber)   40  0 

Shitima  Fugoma   50  0 

Shitima  Zabelauma   10  0 

Shitima  Yawama  ;   40  0 

Shitima  Bosoma.....   20  0 

Shitima  Abdu   20  0 

Shitima 'Abademma   10  0 

Courtiers  and  partisans  of  the  Vizier : 

Grema  Milud   200  33 

Lammo   150  21 

Bashara  (officer  of  Lammo)   13  0 

Dynama  Gajaremma   20  7 

Sheikh  'Abbas   20  7 

Hamza  weled  el  Goni   60  3 


640  APPENDIX. 

Light     Heavy  Cavalry, 

Cavalry.  or  Libbedi.  " 

Karaberima  ^   8  0 

Balal   18  0 

A'dama   8  0 

'Abdellehi  Shmtiri   16  0 

M'allem  Malerama     6  0 

Abras   6  0 

Kashella  S'aid  (officer  of  M'allem  Mohammed)   30  0 

Abba  Masta  (son  of  the  old  sheikh  INIohammed  cl  Kanem  )....  60  10 

Abba  Bagar   90  13 

Refay   90  16 

Beshir   10  0 

Asan  (grandson  of  Mohammed  el  Kanemi  by  'AL;   30  1 

Kazelma   13  0 

Yerim^   5  0 

E'rima   10  0 

U'noma  (Tebu  chieftain)   200  0 

Fagodoma  (chief  of  Koydm)   100  0 

Murjuma  (Koyam)   80  0 

Kauma*  (Koyam)   60  0 

Senwa  Babudma  (Koyam)   40  0 

Senwa  Kindagoma  (Koyam)   100  0 

Kotoko  (Kanemma  chief)   30  0 

Fugo 'Ali  (from  Maduwari)   20  0 

Zfntelma   10  0 


Kaniiri :  Light  cavalry  4181,  say  4500,  as  many  small  detachments  are  omit- 
ted ;  heavy  cavalry  472,  say  500. 
Shuwa :  About  8000, 


*  An  officer  with  this  title,  Kadma,  is  ah-eady  mentioned  in  Imam  A'hmed's  history;  he  was 
most  probably  called  so  onginally  from  the  place  Kau  or  Kow,  in  Shitati  in  Kaneni. 


APPENDIX  V. 


TOWNS  AND  VILLAGES  OF  THE  PROVINCE  OF  LOGO'N  OR  LO'GONE. 
{Large  places,  most  of  them  walled ;  at  present,  indeed,  generally  in  a  state  of  decay. ^ 

In  the  northwestern  part  of  the  province  :  Kundi,  Gerle,  Si'na,  Godoni,  Gemang, 
Kokona,  Kiddeba,  Ngulawa,  Mazera,  Delovv,  Kazere,  Unko-'alem,  Thagulii,  Karse, 
Guwafa,  Diffil,  another  Thagulu,  Mukhse,  Gozenake,  Modea  (village  of  the  moth- 
er of  the  ruling  prince  Y'suf ),  Biwal,  Magwy,  Wananuki,  Matke,  Finalle,  Suwan- 
tega,  Tsi,  MosoggoH,  Ulesemme,  Ngame,  Duggula,  Kuttelaha,  Ngazi,  Saude,  Jilbe, 
Tilde,  Kala,  Hiilluf  or  Helib,  Waka,  Kasesa,  and  others  hereabout. 

In  the  southeastern  part :  Golondera,  Degeme,  Sigge,  Bageam,  Bflle,  Hoya, 
Hannene,  Waza,  Labane,  Gurfay  on  the  river,  Chide,  Njeggere,  Sige,  U'ltseme, 
Sllira,  Kabe  'Imadhe  or  the  Western  Kabe,  Bage,  a  place  rich  in  ivory;  Jmna, 
the  largest  town  of  the  little  kingdom  after  the  capital,  and  important  on  account 
of  the  quantity  of  ivory  there  brought  to  market,  and  of  the  fine  mat-work  there 
produced  ;*  Kalasimd,  one  day  west  from  Jinna ;  Kabe  dema  or  ngolo,  the  "  large 
Kabe,"  forming  the  frontier  town  toward  Bugoman — the  frontier  itself  being 
formed  by  a  swamp  called  Kenkang — Su,  U'msa,  Madeago,  Tumbala,  the  largest 
place  beyond  the  river,  that  is  to  say,  the  River  of  Logon  or  the  Lagham ;  Mele, 
to  be  distinguished  from  the  place  of  the  same  name  situated  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Shari ;  Fulji ;  Kulji,  with  a  governor  who  is  almost  independent ;  Fongol 
and  Mere,  both  on  the  river ;  Gofa,  Diya,  Ngultsemi,  Wainalle,  Jemado,  Wodeo, 
a  large  place ;  Ngoso,  residence  of  a  governor. 


Vol.  II.— S  s 


*  See  vol.  i.,  p.  634. 


APPENDIX  VI. 


COPY  OF  A  DISPATCH  FROM  LORD  PALMERSTON. 

Foreign  Office,  October  7th,  1S51. 

"Sir, — I  am  directed  by  Viscount  Palmerston  to  acknowledge  and  to  thank 
you  for  your  letter  of  the  19th  of  April  last,  from  Kouka,  in  the  Bornou  country, 
in  which  you  announce  the  lamentable  event  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Richardson,  on 
the  night  of  the  2d  and  3d  of  the  preceding  month  of  March,  at  Ungurutua,  be- 
tween Zinder  and  Kouka, 

"  The  expedition  being  thus  deprived  of  its  head,  just  before  the  conclusion  of 
that  principal  stage  of  its  proceedings  which  was  to  terminate  in  the  exploration 
of  Lake  Tchad,  it  appears  to  her  majesty's  government  that  the  completion  of 
that  exploration  is  alone  wanting  to  enable  them  to  consider  as  accomplished  the 
main  objects  of  Mr.  Richardson's  expedition. 

"  I  am  therefore  directed  by  Lord  Palmerston  to  state  to  you  that,  whenever 
you  may  have  finished  your  survey  of  Lake  Tchad  and  its  shores,  his  lordship 
wishes  that  you  and  Dr.  Overweg  should  carry  out  the  remainder  of  your  pro- 
jected proceedings  in  Africa  exactly  as  you  would  have  done  if  Mr.  Richardson 
were  still  living,  and  you  had  separated  from  him  as  contemplated  in  the  memo- 
randum signed  in  triplicate  in  December,  1849,  of  which  yourself  and  Dr.  Over- 
weg possess  each  a  copy. 

"At  the  period  of  your  signature  of  that  memorandum,  you  appear  to  have 
entertained  the  thought  of  pushing  your  further  researches  eastward  toward  the 
Nile,  or  southeastward  toward  Mombaz. 

"Whether  you  may  still  adhere  to  that  project,  or  may  now  see  reason  to  pre- 
fer a  westerly  course  in  the  direction  of  Timbuctoo,  I  am  directed  by  Viscount 
Palmerston  to  state  to  you  that  he  will  be  perfectly  satisfied  to  intrust  to  you  the 
duty  of  carrying  on  to  its  final  completion  the  expedition  heretofore  confided  to 
the  charge  of  Mr.  Richardson. 

"You  will  therefore  consider  yourself  hereby  authorized  to  take  upon  your- 
self the  whole  charge  of  the  expedition,  and  to  pursue  that  course  which,  upon 
full  consideration,  may  appear  to  you  best  fitted  to  eflfect  the  general  objects 
which  her  majesty's  government  had  in  view  when  they  set  on  foot  the  expedition 
into  the  interior  of  Africa. 

"Those  objects  you  will  find  stated  in  the  original  instructions  furnished  to 
Mr.  Richardson,  of  which  a  copy  is  herewith  inclosed  for  your  use  and  guidance. 
"  I  am,  sir,  your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

* '  H.  Waddington. 

"Dr.  Barth." 


APPENDIX  VII. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  WA'DA'Y. 
In  the  chapter  wherein  we  have  treated  of  the  history  of  Bagi'rmi,  we  have  seen 
that  the  tribe  of  the  Tynjur  founded  a  large  empire,  which,  as  it  consisted  of  an 
agglomeration  of  heterogeneous  elements  loosely  connected  together,  was  over- 
whelmed and  torn  to  pieces  in  less  than  one  hundred  years  after  its  foundation. 
The  first  part  which  separated  from  the  body  comprises  the  eastern  regions ; 
Kiiru,  the  third  predecessor  of  SHman,  who  was  the  first  Moslim  king  of  Dar-Fur, 
vanquishing  the  Tynjur,  and  vindicating  the  dominion  of  those  quarters  to  the 
tribe  of  Furawy. 

As  for  the  centre  of  the  empire  of  the  Tynjur,  it  was  overthrown  by  the  found- 
er of  the  Mohammedan  empire  of  Waday,  namely,  'Abd  el  Kerim,  the  son  of 
Yame,  according  to  indigenous  tradition,  in  the  year  1020  of  the  Hejra. 

Woda,  the  son  of  Yame,  belonging  to  the  tribe  of  the  Gemir,*  who  at  that  time 
were  settled  in  Shendy,  and  had  embraced  Islamism,  had  emigrated  with  his 
countrymen  into  the  regions  which  afterward,  in  honor  of  him  it  is  said,  were  com- 
prised under  the  name  of  Waday  ;  and  here  he  is  reported  to  have  exercised  con- 
siderable authority  in  the  empire  of  the  Tj'njur.  His  grandson,  'Abd  el  Kerim,  is 
said  to  have  been  governor  of  certain  provinces  of  the  empire  of  Daud,  who  at 
that  time  ruled  the  empire  of  the  Tynjur,  though  he  had  already  felt  the  mighty 
hand  of  his  eastern  neighbor  Sllman,  the  first  Mohammedan  king  of  Dar-Fiir. 

Instigated  by  a  religious  feeling,  this  man  is  said  to  have  spent  several  years 
in  Bi'dderi,  a  place  about  ten  miles  to  the  east  of  the  capital  of  the  kingdom  of 
Bagirmi,  which  at  that  time,  however,  does  not  seem  to  have  existed ;  for  Bidderi 
vras  one  of  the  places  in  that  region  where  people  belonging  to  the  widely-spread 
nation  of  the  Fulbe  had  settled  from  early  times,  and  among  them  a  family 
which,  by  means  of  undisputed  sanctity  and  learning,  had  begun  to  exercise  a 
considerable  influence  in  the  introduction  of  Islamism  upon  a  wide  circumference 
of  the  surrounding  provinces ;  and  the  head  of  this  family,  whose  name  was  Mo- 
hammed, is  said  to  have  inspired  'Abd  el  Kerim,  the  grandson  of  Woda,  as  well 
as  his  companions  Amalek,  chief  of  the  Marfa,  settled  in  Hoggene,  Miimin  the 
Masahiti,  Dedebam  the  A'bu-Sharibaye,  and  "NYuwel-Banan  the  Jellabi,  with  the 
idea  of  overthrowing  the  pagan  dominion  of  the  Tynjur,  and  of  founding  in  its 
stead  a  new  kingdom  based  on  Islamism. 

Having  returned  to  his  country,  and  spread  his  ideas  of  independence,  'Abd  el 
Ken'm,  after  some  years,  rose  against  his  liege  lord,  Daud,  and  making  Madaba, 
a  mountainous  place  situated  about  ten  miles  to  the  north  of  the  later  town  of 
Wara,  his  residence,  succeeded,  after  a  desperate  struggle,  in  laying  the  founda- 
tion of  the  kingdom  of  Waday,  as  he  called  the  country,  in  honor  of  his  grand- 
father.   He  is  said  to  have  died  after  a  long  reign,  leanng  as  his  successor  his 

•  The  derivation  of  thia  royal  family  from  the  'Abbassiyin  is  altogether  imaginary.  I  am  in 
possession  of  a  letter  with  the  royal  seaL 


644 


APPENDIX. 


son  Kharut,  whom  we  may  call  Kharilt  the  First.  This  is  the  king  who  founded 
Wara,  and  made  this  place,  which  is  defended  by  natural  ramparts  (a  circumstance 
which  gave  rise  to  its  name,  meaning  "  the  town  encircled  by  hills"),  his  residence. 
He,  too,  is  said  to  have  reigned  several  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  eldest 
son  Kharif,  who  was  not  so  fortunate  as  his  father  and  grandfather,  but,  in  the 
third  year  of  his  reign,  was  killed  by  the  warlike  tribe  of  the  Tama,  whom  he 
endeavored  to  subjugate. 

The  successor  of  Kharif  was  Yakiib  'Anis,  his  younger  brother,  who  felt  himself 
strong  enough  to  undertake  an  expedition  into  the  interior  of  Dar-Fur,  where,  on 
account  of  the  advanced  age  of  its  king,  Mtisa,  the  son  and  successor  of  Sliman, 
the  illustrious  founder  of  that  Mohammedan  kingdom,  he  may  have  expected 
little  resistance  ;  but  he  was  beaten,  and  obliged  to  make  a  speedy  retreat.  This 
prince  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Kharut  II.,  who,  during  a  reign  of  forty  years, 
is  said  to  have  established  greater  tranquillity  and  happiness  than  were  to  be 
expected  in  a  kingdom  composed  of  such  heterogeneous  elements. 

The  son  of  this  king  w^as  Joda  or  Jaude,  with  the  surname  Kharif  e'  Timan, 
but  better  known  under  his  honorary  title,  Mohammed  Sulay  or  Sule  (meaning 
the  deliverer) — a  title  which  was  given  to  him  by  his  subjects  in  consequence  of 
the  victory  by  which  he  saved  his  country  from  the  yoke  of  the  Furawy,  Avho, 
under  the  command  of  A'bu  '1  Kasem,  the  second  son  of  A'hmed-Bokkor,  and 
the  sixth  Mohammedan  king  of  that  country,  had  overrun  Waday  with  a  power- 
ful army,  in  order  to  make  it  tributary.  It  is  from  this  victorious  king,  who  has 
made  Waday  honored  and  respected  by  its  neighbors,  that  the  country  has  received 
its  other  name,  viz.,  Dar  Sulay.  It  is  likewise  this  king  who,  at  the  close  of  his 
reign,  wrested  Kanem  from  the  hands  of  the  Sultan  of  Bornu,  or  at  least  the 
better  part  of  it,  by  conquering  Mando  or  Mondo,  the  town  of  the  Tynjur,  as 
well  as  M'awo,  the  residence  of  a  khalifa,  invested  by  the  Sultan  of  Bornu ;  and 
this  is  the  commencement  of  the  hostilities  which  are  carried  on  between  Bornu 
and  Waday.  Mohammed- Sulay  is  said  to  have  reigned,  like  his  father,  forty 
years.  To  him  succeeded  his  son  Saleh,  with  the  surname  Derret,  who  has 
been  almost  imanimously  represented  to  me  as  a  bad  sort  of  prince,  although 
this  seems  to  be  owing  to  the  circumstance  of  his  having  put  to  death  a  consid- 
erable number  of  'ulama,  a  class  of  men  who,  in  Waday,  enjoy  great  authority. 
This  king  hastened  his  death  by  giving  offense  to  the  mother  of  his  eldest  son, 
'Abd  el  Kerim,  who  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  the  Malanga ;  for,  instigated  by  her, 
it  is  said,  her  son,  'Abd  el  Kerim,  took  the  field  against  his  father,  while  the  latter 
in  the  eighth  year  of  his  reign,  had  marched  with  an  army  against  the  Madala, 
the  inhabitants  of  a  place  close  to  Madaba,  and  not  far  from  the  seats  of  tho 
Malanga,  and,  after  a  sanguinary  battle,  the  son  succeeded  in  vanquishing  his 
father,  who  was  killed  in  the  year  1805.  These  are  well-known  facts,  which  can 
not  be  denied. 

'Abd  el  Kerim,  better  known  under  his  surname  Sabun,  which  he  received  at 
a  later  time,  mounted  the  throne  of  Waday,  stained  with  the  blood  of  his  father, 
and  began  a  reign  which  all  agree  in  representing  as  one  of  the  wisest  ever  known 
in  this  part  of  the  world. 

First,  he  enriched  himself  and  his  country  by  the  spoil  of  Bagirmi,  whose  in- 
habitants were  much  further  advanced  in  civilization  than  their  eastern  neighbors, 
and,  by  their  predatory  expeditions  to  Dirki,  had  amassed  a  great  deal  of  riches 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  WA'DAT. 


645 


consisting  not  only  of  fine  clothes,  and  merjan  or  coral,  but  even  of  silver,  of  which 
'Abd  el  Ken'm  is  said  by  trustworthy  persons  to  have  carried  away  with  him  five 
camel-loads,  being  equal  to  about  fifteen  hundred  pounds'  weight.  It  was  also 
during  his  reign,  as  I  have  stated  before,  that  Bagi'rmi  became  forever  a  tributary 
province  of  Waday.  Having  then  founded  a  powerful  kingdom,  it  formed  the 
chief  object  of  his  exertions  to  establish  a  direct  communication  with  the  ports 
on  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean,  in  order  to  supply  himself  with  those  manu- 
factures which,  before  the  spoil  of  Bagirmi,  had  been  almost  unknown  to  the 
people  of  Waday. 

But  to  the  account  of  the  exertions  of  'Abd  el  Kerim  in  this  field,  such  as  has 
been  given  by  the  late  M.  Fresnel,  in  his  memoir  on  Waday,  I  have  nothing  to 
add,  as  it  no  doubt  formed  the  chief  subject  of  his  inquiries ;  but  the  account 
given  by  that  gentleman  of  the  king's  death,  and  of  the  reign  of  his  successor,  is 
full  of  errors.  'Abd  el  Kerim  Sabiin  died  in  the  tenth  year  of  his  reign,  which 
falls  in  the  year  1815,  in  a  place  close  to  Wara,  called  Junne,  where  he  had 
collected  an  army,  in  order,  as  I  have  been  assured  by  well-informed  persons,  to 
make  war  upon  the  ruler  of  Bornu,  or  rather  on  the  Sheikh  Mohammed  el  Kanemf, 
who,  endeavoring  to  restore  his  adopted  country  Kanem  to  its  former  splendor, 
was  anxious  to  rescue  it  from  the  hands  of  Waday. 

Sabiin  died  so  suddenly  that  he  was  unable  to  name  his  successor ;  but  by  all 
whom  I  have  questioned  on  this  point,  I  have  been  assured  that  the  suspicion  of 
l)oison  is  quite  out  of  the  question.  Moreover,  the  circumstances,  as  related  by 
M.  Fresnel,  are  greatly  misrepresented,  Sabun  having  no  son  at  all  of  the  name 
of  Seksan ;  for  he  left  six  sons,  the  eldest  of  whom,  of  the  name  of  A'sed,  was 
born  of  a  mother  from  the  tribe  of  the  Kondongo,  while  Yusuf,  the  second  son, 
and  three  more  sons  of  'Abd  el  Kerim,  were  born  of  one  and  the  same  mother, 
who  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  the  Madaba.  As  for  J'afar,  who,  on  account  of  his 
long  residence  in  Tripoli,  and  his  numerous  interesting  adventures,  has  become 
well  known  to  the  English  public,*  his  mother  belonged  to  another  tribe. 

When,  therefore,  Sabiin  had  died  without  naming  his  successor,  the  partisans 
of  the  tribe  of  the  Madaba  rose  against  the  Kondongo,  or  the  faction  of  A'sed, 
and  having  succeeded  in  vanquishing  their  adA  crsaries,  and  slaying  A'sed,  they 
placed  on  the  throne  Yiisuf,  with  the  surname  Kharffayin,  a  name  which,  however, 
is  not  generally  known  in  the  country.  This  Yusuf,  partly  under  the  guardianship 
of  his  uncle,  A'bii  Rokkhfye,  and  partly  by  himself,  after  he  had  slain  his  uncle, 
together  with  Dommo,  the  agid  of  the  Mahami'd,  ruled  for  sixteen  years  in  the 
most  tyrannical  manner  over  Waday,  till,  about  the  beginning  of  the  year  1830, 
he  was  put  to  death  at  the  instigation  of  his  own  mother,  whose  name  was  Simbil. 
There  has  never  ruled  over  Waday  a  king  of  the  name  of  'Abd  el  Kader ;  and 
Major  Denham  was  quite  right  when,  in  1823,  he  called  the  then  king  of  that 
country  the  immediate  successor  of  Sabiin. 

Yusuf  was  succeeded  by  his  infant  son  Rakeb,  who,  after  seventeen  or  eighteen 
months,  died  from  the  small-pox,  when  a  man  belonging  to  a  lateral  branch  of  the 
royal  family,  namely,  'Abd  el  'Aziz,  son  of  Radama,  whose  father,  Gandigin,  was 
a  younger  son  of  Joda  Mohammed  Sulay,  while  his  mother  also  belonged  to  the 
royal  line,  ascended  the  throne ;  and,  being  supported  by  the  warlike  tribe  of  the 

•  See  Mr.  Barker'!',  or  rather  Lieutenant  (now  Eear-Adiiiiral)  Sir  Henry  Smyth's  story  of  J'afar 
in  the  United  Service  Journal,  1830, 


G46 


APPENDIX. 


Ivodovi  (called  by  the  Arabs  Bu-senun,  on  account  of  their  red  teeth),  among 
whom  he  had  taken  his  residence,  he  succeeded  in  maintaining  his  position,  in 
an  almost  continual  struggle  with  his  adversaries.  The  first  conflict  which  he 
had  to  sustain  was  against  the  Kelingen,  who  put  forth,  not  J'afar,  the  rightful 
claimant  to  the  succession,  but  another  pretender,  named  Kede  ;  they  were, 
however,  totally  beaten,  near  a  place  in  the  vicinity  of  Wara,  called  Folkoto. 

'Abd  el  'Aziz  had  hardly  begun  to  enjoy  some  tranquillity,  when  the  tribe  of 
the  Kondongo,  leaving  their  mountain  seats,  marched  against  him;  but  they 
likewise  were  beaten,  and  almost  annihilated,  in  a  battle  fought  near  a  place 
called  Burtay.  'Abd  el  'Aziz,  who  has  been  represented  to  me  by  my  informants 
as  a  man  of  excellent  qualities  and  of  great  intelligence,  died  likewise  of  the 
small-pox,  after  a  reign  of  five  years  and  a  half,  when  his  infant  son  A'dam  was 
placed  upon  the  throne,  but,  after  a  little  more  than  a  year,  was  dethroned,  and 
carried  into  honorable  captivity,  into  Dar-Fiir. 

The  circumstances  which  led  to  this  revolution  were  as  follows :  Mohammed 
Saleh,  not  quite  correctly  named  e'  Sherif,  who  had  stealthily  entered  "Waday  a 
long  time  previously,  but  had  not  been  able  to  collect  a  party  sufiiciently  strong 
to  enable  him  to  assert  his  claims  openly  as  the  brother  of  Sabun,  had  at  length 
addressed  himself  to  Mohammed  Fadhl,  the  King  of  Dar-Fiir,  and,  under  promise 
of  a  considerable  tribute  to  be  paid  yearly,  had  induced  that  prince  to  assist  him 
in  obtaining  the  kingdom  of  Waday ;  and  in  the  misery  in  which  that  countr}' 
was  just  then  plunged  by  a  severe  famine,  it  only  required  the  assistance  of  two 
captains  or  agade,  viz.,  'Abd  e'  Sid  and  'Abd  el  Fat-ha,  to  conquer  Waday,  while 
none  but  the  Kamkolak,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Kodoyi',  made  a  serious  resistance, 
though  without  success. 

Mohammed  Saleh,  who  thus  ascended  the  throne  with  the  assistance  of  a  for- 
eign power,  in  the  month  Tom  el  awel,  in  the  year  1250  H.,  may  certainly  be  said 
to  have  exerted  himself  for  the  benefit  of  his  country,  though  the  last  years  of 
his  reign  have  been  rather  unfortunate,  as  well  for  himself  as  for  his  subjects. 

The  first  enterprise  which  he  undertook  in  order  to  enrich  his  subjects,  or 
perhaps  himself,  and  with  the  purpose  of  extending  his  dominion,  was  an  expedi- 
tion against  Karka  or  Kargha,  the  district  composed  of  islands  and  half-submerged 
meadow-lands  and  pasture-grounds  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  Tsad,  which  I 
have  described  in  my  account  of  Kanem,  and  from  whence  he  carried  away  a 
gi'eat  number  of  cattle.  Perhaps,  also,  one  reason  why  he  undertook  this  expe- 
dition was  the  circumstance  that  another  member  of  the  royal  family,  namely, 
Nixr  e'  Din,  who,  by  Yusuf  and  Furba,  was  descended  directly  from  Saleh  Derret, 
had  retired  into  that  swampy  and  almost  inaccessible  district,  and,  owing  to  the 
influence  which  he  obtained  over  the  neighboring  tribes,  might  have  risen  as  a 
pretender  at  a  future  time.  The  next  year  Mohammed  Saleh  marched  against 
the  Tama,  that  very  intractable  and  predatory  tribe  settled  in  a  mountainous 
district  four  days  N.E.  from  Wara,  and,  having  conquered  them  and  slain  their 
chief,  invested  another  man  with  his  authority  ;  but  the  Tama  having  driven  this 
person  away  after  the  king  had  retraced  his  steps,  ^Mohammed  Saleh  was  obliged 
to  make  another  expedition  against  them  the  following  year,  when  he  subdued 
them  once  more,  and  made  them  acknowledge  as  their  chief  a  person  called 
Ibrahim. 

After  this,  in  the  year  IS-iG,  he  undertook  that  expedition  against  Bornu  of 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  WA'DAT. 


647 


which  I  have  given  a  short  account  in  the  chronological  table  of  the  history  of 
that  empire,  and  which  had  been  greatly  misrepresented  by  M.  Fresnel ;  for 
although  he  penetrated  to  the  very  heart  of  that  countiy,  he  did  not  attain  his 
object  of  reinstating  the  family  of  the  Sultan  of  Bornu  in  its  ancient  right ;  and 
although  he  certainly  carried  away  a  great  am.ount  of  spoil,  yet  he  lost  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  his  army,  as  well  in  the  battle  of  Kiisuri  as  on  his  return  home, 
principally  while  crossing  the  Shari. 

However,  on  his  return,  the  king  turned  his  arms  against  the  Tebu  tribes  set- 
tled on  the  Bahr  el  Ghazal ;  and,  conquering  them,  subjected  them  to  an  annual 
tribute.  Having  returned  from  this  memorable  campaign,  Mohammed  Saleh  did 
not  undertake  a  second  expedition,  but,  having  kept  quietly  at  home  for  three  or 
four  years,  was  obliged  to  waste  the  strength  of  one  part  of  his  empire  in  a  bloody 
struggle  against  the  other. 

The  origin  and  reason  of  this  civil  war,  which,  up  to  the  time  of  my  leaving 
Negroland,  kept  Waday  in  rather  a  weakened  state,  is  to  be  sought  for  in  the  real 
or  presumed  blindness  of  the  king,  which  gave  to  his  adversaries  the  Kodoyi,  who 
regard  A  dam  as  their  legitimate  prince,  some  pretext  for  not  acknowledging  him 
any  longer  as  their  master,  besides  the  general  unpopularity  produced  by  his 
avarice.  It  was  on  this  account,  in  order  to  escape  from  his  public  and  private 
enemies,  that  in  the  year  1850  he  abandoned  the  old  residence  of  all  the  former 
kings  of  "Waday,  down  from  Kharut  the  First,  and  transferred  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment from  "\Yara  to  Abeshr,  a  very  inconsiderable  place  or  village,  about  twenty 
miles  to  the  south  of  Wara,  where,  on  account  of  its  being  almost  entirely  desti- 
tute of  water,  and  situated  in  the  very  territory  of  his  partisans  the  Kelingen,  he 
felt  himself  tolerably  secure. 

The  contest,  fomented  for  a  long  time,  did  not  break  out  imtil  1851,  when,  in 
the  month  of  Sh'aban,  he  was  obliged  to  march  against  the  Kodoyi,  who,  assisted 
by  part  of  the  A'byi  or  A'bu  Sharib,  awaited  him  in  their  mountains,  from  whence 
they  rushed  down  upon  him  when  he  had  closely  approached  them,  on  Friday, 
the  9th  of  Sh'aban,  with  great  impetuosity,  and  breaking  through  all  his  lines, 
and  killing  a  great  many  persons  of  high  rank,  among  whom  was  A'bii  Horra,  the 
blind  aged  brother  of  the  king,  and  his  own  daughter  Fatima,  penetrated  to  his 
very  person,  and  were  on  the  point  of  slaying  him,  when  his  people  succeeded  in 
saving  his  life.  But,  having  become  imboldened  by  this  success,  the  enemy  the 
next  day  ventured  to  leave  their  mountain  fastnesses,  and  descended  into  the 
plain,  and  were  in  consequence  overpowered  by  the  greater  numbers  and  the 
superior  cavalry  of  the  king's  host,  and,  after  a  severe  loss,  which,  however,  clear- 
ed rather  the  ranks  of  their  companions,  the  A'bu  Sharib,  than  their  own,  sought 
refuge  in  the  mountains.  But,  notwithstanding  this  shock  received  by  them  in 
the  above-mentioned  battle,  which  by  the  natives  is  called  the  battle  of  Torbigen 
or  Jalkam,  being  a  warlike  race,  they  have  by  no  means  given  up  their  point,  and 
were  stated,  during  my  stay  in  Bagirmi,  to  persist  in  the  intention  of  renewing 
the  struggle  after  the  labors  of  the  han-est  should  be  over. 

So  far  I  have  brought  down  the  history  of  the  country  in  the  dispatch  which  1 
sent  home  after  my  return  from  Bagirmi ;  and  the  remarks  with  which  I  then 
concluded  my  account  of  the  history  of  Waday  have  been  since  confirmed  in 
a  very  remarkable  manner.  My  words  were:  "The  discord  which  at  present 
prevails  in  the  centre  of  "Waday  is  the  more  considerable,  as  the  king,  Mohara- 


648 


APPENDIX. 


med  Saleh,  seems  to  be  on  bad  terms  even  with  his  eldest  son  Mohammed,  the 
heir  to  the  throne,  who,  having  staid  behind  in  Wara,  and  being  repeatedly 
summoned  to  appear  before  his  father,  is  said  to  have  retired  to  the  southern 
parts  of  the  country."  A  few  months  after  I  wrote  these  lines  we  received  the 
news  of  a  civil  war  having  broken  out  between  the  son  and  his  father;  and  a 
long,  sanguinary  struggle  ensued,  in  which  Mohammed,  the  son  of  Mohammed 
Saleh,  vanquished  not  only  his  father,  but  also  his  brothers,  who  were  supported 
by  strong  factions,  while  he  himself,  being  born  of  a  woman  who  was  not  a  native 
of  the  country,  but  a  Fellatniye  from  Kordofan,  had  solely  to  rely  upon  his  own 
energy  and  courage ;  and  it  is  said  that  he  committed  great  havoc  among  the 
principal  men  of  the  country.  What  the  present  state  of  the  country  may  be 
I  do  not  know,  but  I  have  been  told  that  this  king  has  been  overthrown  by  one 
of  his  brothers.  If  Mr.  Vogel,  who,  according  to  the  latest  accounts,  has  suc- 
ceeded in  entering  this  country,  should  be  so  fortunate  as  to  escape  with  his  life, 
we  shall  soon  hear  more  about  this  interesting  region. 

Such  is  the  short  account  of  the  history  of  Waday,  as  far  as  my  inquiries  in 
Bagi'rmi  enabled  me  to  learn  it,  and  for  the  general  accuracy  of  which  I  can  an- 
swer, although  it  may  be  at  variance  with  other  reports.  As  for  the  character 
of  the  country,  which  has  been  thus  united  into  one  extensive  kingdom,  stretch- 
ing in  its  greatest  extent  from  W.N.W.  to  E.S.E.,  and  reaching  from  about  15° 
east  long,  to  about  23°,  and  from  about  15°  north  lat.  to  10°  south,  I  shall  here 
only  give  a  very  short  view  of  the  most  characteristic  features,  leaving  the  partic- 
ulars to  the  itineraries,  as  all  the  knowledge  which  we  possess  of  the  country  is 
derived  from  them,  and  not  from  ocular  inspection. 

Waday  proper  is  rather  a  level  country,  but  interspersed  with  a  great  many 
isolated  mountains  of  a  dry  and  sterile  character,  as  it  seems,  without  being  ca- 
pable of  feeding  constant  springs  of  water,  the  only  sources  of  whose  existence  in 
the  country  I  have  been  able  to  obtain  information  being  those  near  the  place 
Hamiyen,  in  the  wadi  Waringek ;  and  even  these  are  said  to  contain  hot  water. 
The  whole  country  has  an  inclination  from  east  to  west — in  other  words,  from 
the  foot  of  Jebel  Marra,  in  Dar-Fiir,  toward  the  basin  of  the  Eittri,  the  lake  or 
lagoon  of  the  Kuka,  which  receives  all  the  moisture  earned  down  during  the 
rainy  season  by  the  smaller  water-courses,  and  collected  in  the  larger  valley  of 
the  Bat-ha ;  with  the  exception,  as  it  seems,  of  the  wadi  Kiya,  which,  running 
from  north  to  south,  next  to  the  above-mentioned  range  of  mountains,  is  stated 
by  most. of  my  informants  not  to  have  any  connection  with  that  basin,  and  may 
possibly  join  some  branch  of  the  Nile.  In  the  northern  part,  where  the  country 
is  bordered  by  desert  tracts,  there  are  several  smaller  water-courses,  or,  as  they 
are  here  called,  "  zaraf,"  which  die  away  in  the  sands. 

As  for  the  country  between  (Lake)  Fittn'  and  (Lake)  Tsad,  I  have  already 
shown  it  in  another  place  to  be  an  elevated  district  intercepting  entirely  the 
communication  between  the  two  lakes,  or  rather  lagoons.  The  water-course  and 
valleys  form  the  natural  high  roads,  along  which  the  dwelling-places  of  men  are 
established. 

With  respect  to  the  outlying  provinces  of  the  empire,  which  are  situated  toward 
the  south,  their  character  is  evidently  much  more  varied  and  rich  in  perennial 
water-courses  than  the  nucleus  of  the  kingdom,  but  inquiries  with  regard  to 
these  water-courses  have  not  as  yet  advanced  far  enough  to  enable  us  to  take  a 
general  view  of  them. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


ETHNOGRAPHICAL  ACCOUNT  OF  WA'DA'Y. 


Waday,  in  every  respect,  is  as  yet  a  young  empire,  where  the  most  heterogene- 
ous elements  subsist  together  side  by  side,  with  almost  unrestricted  power,  weak- 
ening and  debilitating  the  whole  body.  Nevertheless,  the  variety  of  those  ele- 
ments, in  a  territory  of  so  considerable  an  extent  as  Waday,  is  not  at  all  marvel- 
ous and  extraordinary  in  this  part  of  the  world,  the  number  of  the  different  lan- 
guages spoken  there  not  exceeding  that  of  the  diflFerent  languages  spoken  in  the 
circumference  of  Fumbina  ;  and  even  in  Bornu,  where,  by  a  system  of  centraliza- 
tion, several  tribes  have  in  the  course  of  time  been  almost  entirely  annihilated, 
the  number  of  languages  spoken  at  the  present  day  exceeds  fifteen. 

As  for  Waday,  there  are  first  to  be  separated  the  two  large  groups  of  the 
indigenous  or  immigrant  Negro  tribes,  on  the  one  hand,  and  that  of  the  Arab 
tribes  on  the  other.  I  shall  first  consider  the  Negro  tribes,  of  which  I  give  a 
complete  list,  adding  in  each  place  a  few  observations  with  regard  to  their 
strength  and  their  political  power.  As  for  their  affinity  to  each  other,  little  can 
as  yet  be  stated  with  certainty,  vocabularies  of  their  languages  not  being  at  hand ; 
and  I  myself  was  not  able  to  procure  more  than  three,  namely,  vocabularies  of 
the  language  of  the  principal  stock  or  the  Maba,  of  the  Kiika,  and  of  the  Aty! 
or  A'bu  Sharib.  With  regard  to  their  dwelling-places,  they  will  be  better  ascer- 
tained from  the  collection  of  itineraries  than  from  this  account. 

I  will  first  consider  that  body  of  tribes  which  inhabit  Waday  proper,  or  rather 
Dar  Maba,  speaking  one  and  the  same  language,  called  Bora  Mabang,  of  which 
I  have  been  able  to  collect  a  tolerably  correct  vocabulary,  comprising  more  than 
two  thousand  words,  together  with  a  great  many  phrases,  including  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  This  group  consists  of  the  following  tribes,  or  rather  sections :  first, 
the  Kelingen,*  inhabiting  several  villages,  about  one  day  south  of  Wara ;  the 
Kajanga,  two  days  south  of  Wara ;  the  Malanga,t  to  the  N.E. ;  the  Madaba  and 
the  Madala,  close  to  the  latter;  the  Kodoyf,  or  mountaineers  (from  "Kodok," 
the  mountain),  called  by  the  Arabs  "Bii-Senun"  (in  the  singular  form  Sennawy), 
on  account  of  their  red  teeth,  which  color  is  said  to  be  produced  by  the  quality 
of  the  water  in  their  mountain  residences,  where  they  preserve  their  vigorous 
bodily  frames  and  their  intrepid  state  of  mind,  and  are  unanimously  acknowledged 
to  be  the  most  valiant  among  all  the  tribes  of  Waday.  The  most  conspicuous  of 
their  mountain  seats,  situated  one  day's  march  east  of  Wara,  are  Kurungun,  the 
residence  of  their  chief;  Bumdan,  Mogum,  Burkuli,  Mutung,  and  Warshekr. 
Then  follow  the  smaller  sections  of  the  Kuno,  the  Jambo,  the  A'bii  Gedam,  the 
Ogodongda,  the  Kawak,  the  A'shkitmg,  the  Blli,  the  Biking,  the  'Afn-Gamara, 
the  Koromboy,  the  GIrri,  settled  in  A'm-dekik ;  the  people  of  Sheferi,  the  Manga, 
settled  in  the  district  called  FIrsha ;  the  Amirga,  settled  in  Mashek ;  the  people 


t  Written  ^^(\^ . 


650 


APPENDIX. 


of  A'ndobu,  those  of  Shibi,  those  of  Tara — all  localities  situated  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Wara,  and  possibly  a  few  others.  All  those  I  have  mentioned  are  said 
to  be  entirely  different  sections,  while  the  KeHngen,  the  Kajanga,  the  Malanga, 
and  the  Kodoyi  are  the  most  numerous,  the  priority  of  the  former  consisting  in 
nothing  else  than  the  precarious  circumstance  that  the  present  momo,  or  queen- 
mother,  who  in  Waddy  exercises  a  certain  influence,  belongs  to  this  tribe. 

As  for  that  tribe  from  which  the  kings  of  Waday  were  originally  derived,  at 
least  with  regard  to  the  male  issue,  these  are  neither  the  Kelingen,  nor  any  other 
of  those  tribes  constituting  the  group  of  Dar  Maba,  but  one  of  an  entirely  different 
nationality,  namely,  the  above-mentioned  Gemir,  to  whom,  from  this  reason,  and 
not  on  account  of  their  power,  which  is  greatly  diminished,  I  assign  the  second 
place  as  distinguished  by  a  peculiar  language. 

I  now  enumerate  the  different  clans  of  the  A'bu  Sharib  or  A'byi,  who,  taken 
collectively,  are  stated  to  exceed  the  whole  group  of  Dar  Maba  in  numbers  ;  but 
they  seem  to  have  so  many  different  dialects  among  themselves,  that  one  clan  is 
said  scarcely  to  understand  the  other,  and  can  only  make  themselves  intelligible 
by  means  of  the  Bora  Mabang,  known  to  all  the  respectable  persons  of  the  coun- 
try, to  whatever  particular  tribe  they  may  belong.  I  first  mention  the  Aljii  Sharib 
Menagon  and  Mararit,  who  have  one  and  the  same  language,  of  which  I  have  been 
able  to  make  a  select  vocabulary,  comprising  about  two  hundred  words,  together 
with  a  translation  of  the  Lord's  Prayer ;  and  I  must  rank  with  them  the  Tama, 
who  are  positively  stated  to  be  nearly  related  to  the  former,  though  the  seats  of 
these  two  tribes  are  widely  separated,  the  Menagon  and  Mararit  being  settled 
about  six  days  south  from  Wara,  while  the  Tama,  as  has  been  stated  above, 
inhabit  a  mountainous  district  four  days  to  the  northeast  of  the  capital. 

This  warlike  tribe,  distinguished  principally  by 'their  ability  in  using  the  spear, 
seem  at  present  to  have  lost,  in  some  degree  at  least,  their  independence,  for 
which  they  had  been  fighting  for  more  than  two  centuries  with  success ;  for 
I'brahim,  the  chief  imposed  on  them  by  the  present  king  after  they  had  driven 
back  another  person  called  Bilbi'ldek,  whom  he  had  invested,  instead  of  their 
former  independent  chief  E'  Nur,  who  was  executed  by  him,  seems  to  be  really 
installed  in  one  of  their  principal  dwelling-places,  called  Nanawa.  Indeed,  the 
Tama  are  said  to  frequent  at  present  the  markets  of  Waday,  while  the  "  Kay 
Maba,"  or  the  people  of  Maba  Proper,  do  not  dare  to  visit  theirs.  The  Tama 
possess  a  good  many  horses,  but  only  a  few  cattle. 

After  the  Tama  I  range  the  A'bii  Sharib  Gnorga*  and  Darna,  settled  to  the 
east  of  the  Menagon  and  Mararit ;  the  A'bu  Sharib  Kiibu,  settled  in  Goiianga, 
close  to  A'ndabii ;  the  A'bu  Sharib  Sung6ri,t  inhabiting  a  considerable  district 
toward  the  frontier  of  Dar-Fiir,  intermingled  with  the  Masallt :  they  are  princi- 
pally noted  for  their  fine,  tall  horses  ;  the  A'bu  Sharib  Shall,  close  to  the  Sungori; 
the  A'bii  Sharib  Shokhen,  inhabiting  principally  the  well-known  place  of  the 
same  name;  the  A'bu  Sharib  Bubala,  intimate  friends  of  the  Kodoyi,  whose 
eastern  neighbors  they  are ;  and,  finally,  the  Wela  Gemma,  belonging  likewise 
to  the  large  group  of  the  A'bu  Sharib,  but  distinguished,  as  it  is  asserted,  by  a 
peculiar  language. 

After  this  group  I  rank  the  Masallt,  who  are  said  to  be  the  most  numerous 


ETHNOGRAPHICAL  ACCOUNT  OF  WA'DAT. 


651 


next  to  the  A'bii  Sharib,  and  who  may  probably  be  found  to  have  some  affinity 
with  the  Sungori,  with  whom  they  are  promiscuously  intermingled,  although  the 
state  of  barbarism  into  which  they  have  sunk  appears  to  be  of  the  very  lowest 
description,  as  they  are  even  said  to  be  guilty  of  devouring  the  flesh  of  human 
beings,  an  imputation  made  chiefly  against  that  section  of  them  established  in 
the  place  called  Nyesere,  close  to  the  frontier  of  Dar-Fur. 

Having  m.entioned  next  in  order  to  the  Masalit,  on  account  of  the  neighborhood 
of  their  dwelling-places,  the  tribe  of  the  'Ah,  I  shall  retrace  my  steps,  returning 
to  the  neighborhood  of  Wara,  where  I  shall  name  first  the  Miml,  a  tribe  distin- 
guished, it  is  said,  by  a  peculiar  language,  and  then  rank  a  group  comprising 
several  tribes,  the  degree  of  whose  affinity  to  each  other  can  only  be  ascertained 
after  vocabularies  of  their  languages  or  dialects  have  been  collected.  These  are 
the  following  tribes :  the  Moewo*  and  the  Marfa,  the  Korunga,  or,  as  they  are 
called  by  the  Arabs,  Karinga,  and  the  Kashemere.  It  seems  probable  that  there 
is  some  kind  of  relation  between  these  tribes  and  the  Masalit. 

I  now  enumerate  the  Kondongo,  a  tribe  formerly  of  considerable  strength,  but 
at  present  much  debilitated  by  the  struggle  sustained  by  them  against  'Abd  el 
'Aziz,  and  by  a  famine  which  befell  them  in  consequence  of  that  struggle.  They 
are  principally  famous  on  account  of  the  excellency  of  their  weaving.  I  now 
mention  as  separate  tribes  or  nationalities  the  Kabagga,  to  the  S.E.  of  "Wara, 
close  to  the  Kubu ;  the  Miibi,  on  the  Bat-ha ;  the  Marta ;  the  Denniidi  or  Daram- 
dutu ;  the  Bakka,  or  Welad  el  Bakhkha,  close  to  Malam;  the  Birkit,  near  the 
frontiers  of  Dar-Fur,  in  which  country  they  are  more  numerous  ;  the  Tala ;  Ka- 
jagse  or  Kajagase,  near  the  S.S.W.  frontier  of  Waday  proper;  and  not  far  from 
them  the  Tynjur,  the  remainder  of  that  powerful  nation  which  once  ruled  over 
all  these  countries,  at  present  chiefly  settled  in  Magara,  a  place  belonging  to  Dar 
Zoyud. 

I  now  mention  the  Kuka,  settled  principally  along  the  lower  course  of  the  Bat- 
ha,  and  in  Fittri,  where,  as  far  as  regards  language,  they  form  one  group  together 
with  the  Bulala,  separated  from  the  other  tribes  of  Waday  as  above-mentioned, 
but  intimately  connected  with  the  inhabitants  of  Bagirmi,  with  whose  language, 
at  least  with  regard  to  half  of  the  elements  of  which  it  is  composed,  the  language 
of  the  Kuka  is  identical. 

After  the  Kiika  must  be  ranked  the  Dajo,  a  tribe  even  at  present,  though  their 
ancient  power  is  gone,  very  numerous,  and,  as  far  as  regards  Waday,  settled  prin- 
cipally to  the  S.E.  of  the  Kiika,  with  \^-hom  they  have  some  distant  affinity.  Per- 
haps those  elements  in  the  language  of  the  Kuka  which  do  not  harmonize  with 
the  language  of  the  Bagirmi  people  may  be  identical  with  the  language  of  the 
Dajo.  As  for  the  relation  between  the  Dajo  and  the  A'bu  Telfan,  inhabiting  a 
mountainous  district  two  days  S.S.W.  from  Bi'rket  Fatima,  we  are  likewise  not 
yet  able  to  decide ;  at  least,  as  far  as  regards  civilization,  the  latter  seem  to  oc- 
cupy a  very  low  stage,  and  are  considered  by  the  people  of  Waday  as  "  jenakhe- 
ra,"  or  pagans.    They  are  very  rich  in  horses  and  cattle. 

In  the  province  called  Dar  Zoyud,  on  the  middle  course  of  the  Bat-ha,  I  have 
still  to  mention  a  separate  tribe  or  clan,  namely,  the  Kaudara,  residing  in  a  con- 
siderable place  called  Kinne,  and  speaking  a  peculiar  language. 

*  The  name  is  written   ^*vX»  or  .'c^- 


652 


APPENDIX. 


Before  enumerating  the  tribes  inhabiting  the  outlying  provinces  to  the  south, 
who  are  only  partly  subdued,  I  shall  first  mention  the  Zoghawa,  or,  as  the  name 
is  pronounced  in  Waday,  the  Zokhawa,  and  the  Gur'aan,  two  of  the  great  divis- 
ions of  the  Tebu  or  Teda,  inhabiting  the  desert  to  the  north  of  Waday,  who  are 
very  rich  in  flocks,  and  have  become  dependent  on  and  tributary  to  the  ruler  of 
that  country. 

In  the  provinces  to  the  south  there  are  the  Sllla,  in  the  mountainous  country 
S.S.W.  from  Shenmi ;  the  Bandala,  close  to  Jeji ;  the  Riinga,  inhabiting  the 
country  to  the  S.W.  from  Silla,  and  fifteen  days'  march  from  Wara,  and  paying 
tribute  as  well  to  Dar-Fiir  as  to  Waday ;  the  Daggel,  whose  capital  is  Mangara, 
to  the  north  from  Riinga  and  west  frem  Silla ;  the  Gulla,  to  the  west  from  Riin- 
ga, said  to  be  of  a  fine  bodily  figure,  and  some  of  them  copper-colored ;  the  Fana, 
south  of  Gulla  ;  the  Birrimbirri,  to  the  S.S.E.  of  Waday ;  the  Sell,  south  of  Run- 
ga  ;  and  the  Kutingara. 

This  is  rather  a  dry  list  of  the  numerous  tribes  belonging  to  the  black  popula- 
tion of  Waday,  and  nothing  but  further  researches  into  the  interior  of  the  coun- 
try itself,  and  the  collecting  of  vocabularies  of  their  languages,  can  establish  the 
degree  of  relation  or  affinity  existing  between  them.  As  for  the  other  large 
group,  viz.,  the  Arab  population  of  Waday,  or  the  " 'Aramka  Dar  Mabana,"  as 
they  are  called  in  the  Waday  language — for  the  Waday  people  never  employ  the 
term  Shiiwa  or  Shiwa,  used  in  Bagi'rmi  and  Bornu — it  consists  of  the  following 
tribes,  who  have  been  settled  in  Waday  for  about  500  years.  First  (the  most 
powerful  and  richest  of  them  all,  as  Avell  in  camels  as  in  small  cattle),  the  Ma- 
hami'd,  settled  in  the  wadiyan  to  the  north  of  Wara,  principally  in  Wadi  'Oradha, 
two  days'  march  from  that  place,  but  leading  a  nomadic  life  like  all  the  others ; 
and  near  to  them  the  Beni  Helba,  who  are  said  to  have  been  politically  united 
with  the  Tynjur ;  the  Shi'ggegat,  partly  associated  with  the  Mahamid,  partly  set- 
tled near  Jeji ;  the  Sebbedi ;  the  Sef  e'  din  ;  and  the  Beni  Hassan.  The  latter, 
whom  we  have  met  already  in  Bornu  and  in  Kanem,  Avhere  they  are  spread  in 
considerable  numbers — also  in  Waday,  are  rather  miserably  off,  a  great  many  of 
them  roving  about  Eastern  Sudan  in  order  to  gain  something  by  their  labor, 
while  the  rest  wander,  in  the  rainy  season,  to  a  place  called  E  tang,  situated  to 
the  N.E.  of  Wara,  between  the  Tama  and  Zoglihawa. 

While  all  these  tribes  roam  about  to  the  north  of  Wara,  I  now  elass  together 
those  settled,  at  least  part  of  the  year,  in  the  valley  of  the  Bat-ha.  These  are 
the  Missiriye,  the  third  tribe  among  the  Waday  Arabs  in  respect  to  numberSj 
and  divided  into  two  sections,  viz.,  the  Missiriye  Zoriik,  or  the  black  (dark)  ones, 
and  the  Missiriye  Homr,  or  the  red  ones — Domboli  is  the  chief  place  of  residence 
of  the  Missiriye ;  then  the  Khozam,  the  next  in  point  of  numbers ;  the  Zoyiid, 
the  J'aatena,  the  Zabbade,  and  the  'Abidiye ;  to  whom  may  be  added  the  Nu- 
v/'aibe,  who  keep  more  to  the  north  of  the  Bat-ha.  Next  in  order  may  be  named 
the  Sabalat,  a  rather  indigent  tribe,  who  breed  cattle  for  the  king,  and  supply  his 
household  with  milk.  South  of  the  Sungori  are  the  settlements  of  the  Korobat, 
whose  chief  place  is  Tenjing,  east  of  Tynjung,  which  is  two  days  from  Shenini. 
On  the  rich  pasture-grounds,  fed  by  a  shallow  water  called  the  bahr  e'  Tini,  four 
days  S.E.  from  Birket  Fatima,  there  are  the  wandering  tribes  of  the  Kolomat  and 
the  Terjem ;  while  toward  the  S.W.  extremity  of  the  empire,  on  the  borders  of 
another  shallow  water,  probably  without  any  current,  and  called  after  the  tribe 


ETHNOGRAPHICAL  ACCOUNT  OF  WA'DA'Y. 


653 


which  I  am  just  about  to  mention,  there  are  the  settlements  of  the  Welad  Ra- 
shid,  close  to  the  eastern  borders  of  the  pagan  dependencies  of  Bagirmi,  and  part 
of  them  settled  even  in  the  midst  of  those  pagan  tribes,  principally  among  the 
Buwa  Kiili,  with  whom  they  are  said  even  to  intermarry ;  they  are  particularly 
rich  in  horses  of  small  breed,  and  possess  considerable  property. 

Finally,  there  is  another  group  of  Arab  tribes,  who  pasture  their  cattle  near 
another  shallow  water,  which  seems  to  me  to  have  likewise  very  little  inclina- 
tion, and  is  generally  called  O'm  e'  Timan,  but  very  often  named  after  the  tribes 
who  are  settled  on  its  borders.  There  are  toward  the  east,  not  far  from  the 
Bandala,  the  Salamat,  a  rather  numerous  tribe ;  to  the  west  of  them  the  Hemad ; 
aiid,  finally,  the  Sharafa,  who  occasionally  also  visit  the  bahr  e'  Tmi.  Besides 
these,  in  the  western  extremity  of  the  empire  there  are  the  Duggana  or  Daghana, 
who  were  in  former  times  dependent  on  Bornu. 

With  regard  to  their  color,  all  these  Arab  tribes  may  be  distributed  into  two 
groups,  namely,  the  "  Zoruk"  and  the  "Homr."  To  the  first  group — the  dark- 
colored  tribes — belong  principally  the  Missiriye,  the  Zoruk,  and  the  'Abidiye ; 
while  the  Mahamid,  the  Rashid,  the  Khozam,  the  Hamide,  and  the  others  men- 
tioned above,  constitute  the  far  more  numerous  group  of  the  Homr. 


APPENDIX  IX. 


GOVERNMENT  OF  WA'DA'Y. 

It  appears,  from  the  above  exposition  of  the  various  elements  of  which  the 
population  of  the  country  of  Waday  consists,  that  its  government  can  not  but  be 
of  a  varied  composition,  and  that  it  has  not  as  yet  assumed  an  harmoniously  con- 
centrated character.  If  we  investigate  the  manner  in  which  the  government  of 
this  number  of  various  nationalities  is  in  general  managed,  we  have  first  to  ob- 
serxe  that,  no  doubt  in  imitation  of  Dar-Fur,  the  whole  of  the  empire  of  Waday 
is  divided  into  four  great  sections,  viz.,  the  inhabitants  of  the  western  districts, 
or  "  Lulul-endi ;"  those  of  the  southern  provinces,  or  "  Motay-endi ;"  those  of  the 
eastern  districts,  or  "  Talunt-endi ;"  and,  lastly,  those  of  the  northern  ones,  or 
"Turtalu."  Over  these  four  large  departments  or  provinces  a  like  number  of 
Kemakel  or  Kamkolaks  have  been  placed,  the  Kamkolak  of  the  west,  at  present 
K.  Nehed,  having  his  residence  in  Gosbeda,  a  village  belonging  to  Mashek,  three 
days  W.S.W.  from  Wara ;  the  Kamkolak  of  the  southern  districts,  at  present 
Mohammed,  having  his  residence  in  Kiirkuti,  two  days  south  from  Wara,  on  the 
Beteha ;  the  Kamkolak  of  the  east,  at  present  Abakr  (Abii  Bakr)  Weled  Meram, 
residing  near  the  frontier  of  Dar-Fur ;  and,  finally,  that  of  the  north,  at  present 
Sheikh  el  'Arab,  son  of  Tondo,  residing  in  Megeren,  about  twenty  miles  north 
from  Wara. 

Besides  these  four  principal  governors  or  Kamkolaks,  there  are  four  smaller 
ones,  called  Kamkolak-endikrek,  who  appear  to  be  the  substitutes  of  the  former, 
but  seem,  besides,  to  have  some  particular  duties  to  perform.  Their  names  at 
present  are  Kamkolak  Nasr,  belonging  to  K.  Xehed ;  K.  Hejab,  stationed  in  the 
south  ;  K.  Kelingen,  and  Kamkolak  Rakeb. 

These  Kamkolaks  in  general  have  the  management  of  all  public  affairs  in  the 
provinces,  and  have  the  power  of  life  and  death,  and  wherever  they  go  they  levy 
the  "dhiyafa,"  properly  the  present  of  hospitality,  a  sort  of  tribute  regulated  ac- 
cording to  the  size  of  each  respective  place.  However,  they  seem  to  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  the  Arab  population,  and  even  with  regard  to  the  indigenous 
tribes  there  are  many  exemptions  from  their  authority,  several  of  those  clans, 
especially  the  Tama,  the  Kodoyi,  the  Bulala,  the  Middogo,  and  some  of  the  A'bii 
Sharibs,  having  powerful  chiefs  of  their  own,  and  some  of  the  pagan  tribes  hav- 
ing retained  their  former  princes.  Moreover,  a  great  many  of  the  places  inhab- 
ited by  indigenous  tribes  have  been  allotted  to  the  A'gade  or  Agids,  who  were 
originally  appointed  as  governors  over  the  Arab  tribes,  so  that  on  military  expe- 
ditions the  Kemakel  have  not  nearly  so  large  a  force  under  their  command  as 
the  A'gade. 

Besides,  as  far  as  regards  the  eastern  districts,  a  particular  Agid  e'  sybba  (sa- 
bah)  has  been  appointed,  who  exercises  a  distinct  function  from  that  of  the  Kam- 
kolak of  the  east,  and  has  his  residence  in  Bir-Tawll,  a  place  near  the  frontier  of 
Dar-Fur,  though  originally  his  authority  extended  only  over  the  Korobat. 


GOVERNMENT  OF  WA'DAT. 


655 


The  following  is  a  list  of  the  present  agids  or  agade,  together  with  the  tribes 
over  which  they  rule,  and  the  chiefs  each  tribe  has  of  its  own. 

...  -  Name  of  the  Tribe  over  which 

Name  of  the  Agid.  Name  of  the  Chief.  jjj^y  ^yjg 

(-'Abd  e'  Salam  Hagar   Mahami'd. 

M'allem  Burma*  Dendanif   Beni  Helba. 

Khami's  Weled  Zebe   Zebbedi. 

Jerma,  nephew  of  Mo-    Tamoki   Shiggerat. 

hammed  Sdleh  ^^^^^   (Sef  e' Din. 

(Bern  Hassan. 

Musa  Khabash   Welad  Jeniib. 

I  Sherf  e'  dm   Mahariye  Welad  'All. 

Magene   Yarima   Missirive  Zoruk. 

Dagga   Magaddam   Missiriye  Homr. 

(Kamkolak  Nehed)  ...    Allajad   Zoyud. 

Mammedi   Riyat   Nuwai'be. 

Fadaldllah(Tadhl-Al-  (Sheikh  Sdleh   J'adtena. 

lah)   (Al  Baher   Duggana. 

Jerma  Shogoma   (Not  known  to  me)   Khozam. 

„  (Dilla  )  „ 

Hanno   It^  j  >  Hamide. 

(Radama  ) 

Barka  Meser   Sindur   Abidiye. 

Jerma  Abd  el  Aziz ...  Saleh   Kolomat. 

Gadi   Fakih  Yakub   Terjem. 

Bakhed,  Agid  e'  sybba  (Chief  not  known)   Korobat. 

fDiyab,  with  the  surname  "sfdi> 

„  y  Salamat. 

g,^.^  '     jenun   ) 

j  Rekek,  whose  daughter  is  married  Sharafa. 

to  the  king  Jedd  el  Mola   Hemad. 

Horr   Sheikh  Anje   Sabbada. 

Danna   Halib,  a  woman   Rashid. 

(Not  known)   Mafer   Sabalat. 

rDebaba,  a  section  of 

'Abd-el-Wahed   Diyab  <     the  tribe  of  this. 


name. 


Fakih  'Ali,  or  'Alio,  f  A'dim,  next  to  whom  in  author-  j.^g'|g, 

called  Agid-el-bahr;  I     ity  is  Kharith   ) 

his  father  Beshara  i  Tebu  Tribes. 

died  at  Kusuri ......  lA'h  Kashelle   Kreda. 

r  Shinnakora. 

I  Sakerda. 

Birre   A'hu  Nakor  ^  Sakere. 

I  Madamee. 
I^Famalle. 

These  agids,  the  most  powerful  of  whom  is  Jerma,  to  whom  the  half  of  Wa- 
*  Residing  in  Gdlum  Kusha. 

t  Residing  in  A'm-Sidr,  a  zaraf,  one  day  N.W.  from  Wara,  and  about  the  same  distance  from 
Galum  Kusha. 


656 


ArPENDIX. 


day  is  said  to  belong,  exercise  a  very  great  authority  in  times  of  peace,  as  well 
as  in  case  of  war ;  for  they  have  not  only  to  inspect  the  state  of  their  respective 
districts,  and  to  collect  the  tribute,  but  they  have  also  to  assemble  the  troops, 
and  lead  them  into  battle ;  and  they  are  continually  undertaking  great  expedi- 
tions on  their  own  account.  After  Jerma,  the  agid  el  bahr,  to  whom  Moito,  the 
northeasternmost  town  of  Baglrmi,  has  still  to  pay  a  special  tribute,  besides  the 
general  one  which  Bagi'rmi  pays  to  Waday,  is  the  most  powerful  on  account  of 
his  numerous  cavalry ;  then  follows,  it  seems,  the  Agid  of  the  J'aatena,  and  Dug- 
gana.  The  Agi'd-e'-sybba  is  very  unpopular  on  account  of  the  extortions  and 
vexations  to  which  he  is  continually  subjecting  travelers  and  pilgrims,  who,  on 
that  account,  shun  his  territory  as  they  would  the  haunt  of  a  wild  beast. 

Each  of  these  agids  has  a  khalifa,  or  substitute,  called  agid-el-birsh,  whom  he 
sends  into  his  province  if  he  does  not  wish  to  go  himself,  and  some  of  whom  ex- 
ercise considerable  authority  by  themselves ;  and,  besides  this  person,  an  Emin 
is  also  added  on  the  part  of  the  sultan,  in  order  to  inspect  and  control  the  collec- 
tion of  the  tribute,  and  to  see  that  the  due  proportion,  viz.,  half  of  the  dhiyafa,  is 
sent  to  the  sultan. 

Tribute. — The  tribute  or  tax,  called  here  "  divan,"  varies  greatly,  according  to 
the  wealth  and  character  of  the  productions  of  the  several  districts.  But,  as  a 
general  rule,  an  inhabitant  of  any  town  in  Waday  proper,  besides  occasional  con- 
tributions or  presents,  has  to  pay  for  himself  two  mudd — a  measure  containing 
twenty-two  handfuls  of  corn,  or  rather  dukhn ;  and,  together  with  the  other  in- 
habitants of  his  town,  a  certain  number  of  camels ;  while  with  regard  to  the  Ar- 
abs, every  chief  of  a  family  has  to  give  a  kaffala  of  two  heads  of  cattle  every 
third  year,  and  if  he  be  a  fakih,  but  one.  But,  besides  this  general  tax,  there  are 
some  smaller  ones  for  the  black  natives ;  as,  for  example,  on  each  of  the  great 
Mohammedan  holidays,  every  village  has  to  present  to  its  Ajuwadi,  that  is  to 
say,  to  the  person  upon  whom  it  has  been  settled  as  an  estate,  one  makhalaye — 
a  measure  containing  three  mudd  or  medad — of  dukhn,  and  has  also  to  make 
the  same  present  to  an  officer  in  the  palace  called  "  Sidi-e'-derb,"  as  well  as  to 
the  "  Sidi-el-alboye ;"  the  larger  villages  or  towns  have  to  give  more  in  propor- 
tion, as  much  as  ten  mekhali ;  and  besides  this,  on  bringing  their  tribute  to  the 
king,  the  smaller  villages  have  to  present  their  Ajuwadi  with  one  camel-load  of 
dukhn,  and  the  larger  ones  with  more.  The  native  negro  population  of  Waday 
proper  have  not  to  pay  any  cattle  or  tokaki  (strips  of  cotton),  except  at  the  spe- 
cial request  of  the  king ;  but  certainly  with  them  also  the  various  character  of 
the  productions  of  their  district,  and  the  wealth  they  possess,  are  taken  into  ac- 
count; the  Sungori,  for  instance,  whose  excellent  race  of  horses  I  have  mention- 
ed above,  are  said  to  pay  every  year  a  tribute  of  one  hundred  horses ;  and  the 
tribute  of  the  Gemir  and  the  Tynjur  is  entirely  confined  to  rice — wild  rice — with 
which  they  have  to  supply  the  household  of  the  king. 

As  for  the  Arabs,  besides  the  general  tribute  or  kaffala  mentioned  above,  they 
have  to  give  to  the  king  himself  the  "noba,"  that  is  to  say,  once  in  three  years, 
every  four  men,  one  cow ;  and  on  each  holiday,  every  encampment  has  to  furnish 
a  young  cow ;  and,  besides  this,  they  are  greatly  annoyed  by  the  expensive  dhi- 
yafa, which,  as  I  have  stated  above,  they  have  to  present  to  the  agfd-el-birsh  on- 
his  annual  visit,  while,  on  the  whole,  it  is  well-known  that  the  Waday  people 
keep  the  Arabs  settled  in  their  country  in  very  strict  subjection,  and  do  not  allow 


TIIE  FA'SHER  AND  THE  FA'SHER  MELE'. 


657 


them  to  collect  any  considerable  property  for  themselves.  As  for  the  Mahami'd, 
they  pay  their  tribute  entirely  in  camels,  and  are  said  to  make  up  every  third 
year  the  number  of  one  thousand  camels,  while  the  'Abidiye,  who  have  very  little 
cattle  for  themselves,  but  breed  cattle  for  the  king,  have  to  pay  their  tribute  in 
butter. 

With  respect  to  the  indigenous  tribes  in  the  outlying  provinces  of  Waday 
proper,  the  tribute  or  divan  imposed  upon  them  varies  greatly.  For  example,  the 
Dajo  have  to  give  1000  tokaki,  besides  honey,  wherein  consists  the  whole  regular 
tribute  paid  by  the  provinces  of  Daggel,  Kebait,  and  of  the  Bandala ;  while  Silla, 
besides  honey,  has  to  furnish  a  certain  number  of  handsome  female  slaves ;  and 
Runga,  in  addition  to  a  certain  quantity  of  this  favorite  article  (viz.,  honey),  100 
large  elephants'  teeth  every  year,  or  half  of  the  value  in  slaves.  The  tribute  of 
Gulla,  and  of  the  adjacent  pagan  states,  consists  solely  of  slaves.  As  for  the 
Tebu  tribes,  the  Zoghawa  have  to  furnish  a  certain  number  of  horses,  while  the 
tribute  raised  on  the  Gur'aan,  as  far  as  they  are  dependent  on  Waday,  consists 
of  camels. 

Here,  finally,  I  have  to  mention  the  divan  paid  by  the  King  of  Baginni,  down 
from  the  period  when  'Othman,  father  of  the  present  ruler  of  that  country,  solic- 
ited the  assistance  of  Sabun,  in  order  to  reconquer  his  country  from  the  facha, 
as  I  have  stated  in  my  account  of  Bagirmi.  This  tribute,  which  was  levied  the 
very  year  of  my  residence  in  Mas-end,  consists  of  100  horses  of  indifferent  de- 
scription, 100  slaves,  30  serari  or  handsome  female  slaves,  and  1000  shirts,  or 
gumsan.  This  tribute,  the  whole  value  of  which,  in  Bagirmi,  is  from  2500  to 
8000  dollars,  is  paid  every  third  year,  besides  a  present  of  10  serari,  4  horses,  and 
4  gumsan  to  Jerma,  Weled  el  Meram,  who  has  the  superintendence  of  this  de- 
pendency. For  there  is  a  superintendent,  or,  as  the  Wadawy  call  it,  a  "  Kursi," 
for  ever}'  pro\ince  without  the  borders  of  Waday  proper;  and  Jerma,  besides 
having  all  those  Arab  tribes  above  mentioned  under  him,  is  the  Kursi,  not  only 
of  Bagirmi,  but  likewise  of  the  whole  Fittri,  of  the  Dajo,  and  of  Middogo.  The 
present  Kursi  of  Runga,  whose  name  is  Sherif,  has  his  residence  in  Shem'ni, 
which,  together  with  the  neighboring  villages,  has  to  furnish  him  with  necessa- 
ries ;  and  he  visits  that  province  annually  in  order  to  le\7  the  tribute.  The  We- 
Idd  Rashid,  also,  partly  owing  to  their  considerable  distance  from  the  cajDital, 
and  partly,  as  it  would  seem,  on  account  of  their  being  deeply  sunk  in  paganism, 
although  they  have  a  special  agid,  have  likewise,  together  with  the  Salamat,  had 
a  kursi  estabhshed  over  them. 

Tfie  Fdsher  and  Members  of  the  Fdsher. — After  having  given  this  short  account 
of  the  external  government  of  the  country,  if  I  may  so  call  it,  I  now  proceed  to 
the  intei'ior;  but,  as- there  is  naturally  no  civil  government,  I  content  myself 
with  naming  the  persons  composing  the  Fasher,  or  Royal  Council,  where  the 
present  sultan,  Mohammed  Sherif,  however,  never  appears.  This  council  is  held 
in  an  open  place,  which  is  likewise  called  Fasher,  where  all  public  business  is 
transacted.  The  president  of  the  Fasher,  and  the  first  of  the  "  Fasher-mele,"  or 
members  of  the  Fasher  in  authority,  is  the  Sing-melek,  or,  properly  speaking,  the 
master  of  the  gate,  but  whose  character  and  authority  evidently  approach  those 
of  a  vizier,  all  business,  as  far  as  regards  the  internal  operations  of  government, 
being  principally  transacted  by  him.  The  present  Sing-melek  is  said  to  be  a 
person  of  intelligence,  of  the  name  of  Ashen,  the  younger  brother  of  the  power- 

Vol.  II.— T  t 


658 


APPENDIX. 


ful  Jerma,  Weled  el  ^Meram,  who  surpasses  him  in  material  power  and  wealth. 
But  with  regard  to  the  composition  of  the  Fasher  this  Jerma  is  to  be  ranked  next 
to  Sing-melek.  Then  comes  Kamkolak  Rakeb,  who  appears  to  have  the  author- 
ity of  a  major-domo,  then  Emm  'Abd-Allahi,  a  brother  of  Sing-melek,  who  is  the 
inspector  of  the  shirts,  that  is  to  say,  the  private  treasurer  of  the  monarch  ;  next 
in  order  is  Kursi  A'bii  Bakr,  son  of  A'bii  Horra,  the  person  mentioned  above,  at 
present  stationed  in  the  territory  of  the  Kodoyi ;  Kursi  'Abd-Allahi,  who  has  the 
inspection  of  the  AVelad  Rashid ;  the  Agid  el  Mahamid ;  the  Agi'd  of  the  Welad 
Eashid ;  the  Agid  el  J'aatena ;  Agid  e'  Salamat ;  Agid  el  Khozam ;  Agid  el 
Birsh  ;  Agid  el  E'dderi ;  Maigenek,  a  person  whose  duty  it  is  to  proceed  with  his 
troop  in  advance  of  the  sultan,  in  case  of  an  expedition,  like  the  Jerma  in  the 
Bornu  army ;  Kamkolak  Mohammed  Wokilik,  K.Nehed,  K.  Tando,  K.  A'bii  Bakr, 
Agi'd  el  'Abidi'ye,  Kursi  Riinga,  Agid  e'  sybba ;  K.  'Ataman  ('Othman),  Agi'd  Am- 
marga,  an  officer  of  the  household ;  Agi'd  Salem,  inspector  of  the  corn  supplied 
to  the  palace ;  Agid  Yiingo,  likewise  for  the  interior ;  Milleng-di'me,  khalifa  of 
the  Kamkolak  of  the  southern  provinces  ;  IMilleng-turi,  khalifa  of  the  governor 
of  the  eastern  districts  ;  Mohammed  Jegeles,  khalifa  of  the  agid  of  the  Mahamid; 
Mohammed  Dahaba  Bodda,  substitute  of  Kamkolak  Mohammed,  Khalifa  Fod, 
whose  station  is  toward  the  S. ;  Kubar,  an  Ajuwadi,  who  has  his  residence  in 
A'bgudam,  eleven  days  S.  from  Wara,  and  others  of  minor  authority. 

The  order  in  which  I  have  enumerated  the  members  of  the  council  is  nearly 
that  of  their  rank.  As  for  the  Momo,  or  queen  mother,  she  is  sometimes  asked 
to  give  her  opinion,  but  she  never  appears  in  the  assembly. 

Army. — I  shall  add  but  a  few  words  concerning  the  military  department. 
After  various  minute  inquiries,  I  think  I  shall  not  be  wrong  in  stating  the  caval- 
ry of  Waday,  in  which,  as  in  almost  all  these  countries,  the  strength  of  the  army 
consists,  at  seven  thousand  horse.  Of  these,  about  one  thousand  appear  to  be 
clad  in  coats  of  mail  or  "  derret,"  while,  on  account  of  the  communication  with 
Ben-Ghazi,  the  number  of  these  coats  of  mail  are  annualy  increasing,  every  car- 
avan bringing  several  camel-loads  of  them,  which  sell  for  one  or  two  female 
slaves  apiece.  The  horses  are  said  to  be  excellent ;  and  exposed  as  they  are  to 
storm  and  heat,  never  enjoying  the  protection  of  a  roof  or  shade,  they  are  able  to 
support  the  greatest  fatigue,  while,  at  the  same  time,  those  of  the  gi-eat  men  at 
least  are  said  to  be  fed  sumptuously  with  rice  and  milk.  All  the  horses  of  the 
sultan,  which  bear  the  special  title  of"  aruwail"  {sing,  rawail),  have  each  of  them 
a  particular  name.  The  number  of  muskets  in  the  army  is  very  small,  the  "Wa- 
dawy  themselves  having  assured  me  that  there  are  not  more  than  about  300  ;  for 
the  strength  of  the  people  of  Waday  consists  in  their  spears,  while  the  Furawy 
trust  almost  entirely  to  their  swords. 

As  for  the  commanders  on  an  expedition,  their  rank,  according  to  the  number 
of  the  troops  which  they  lead  into  the  field,  is  as  follows.  After  the  sultan  and 
the  Sing-mele'k,  certainly  nobody  can  emulate  Jerma,  the  agid  of  the  INIahamid, 
after  whom  follows  Jerma  'Abd  el  Aziz,  and  then  Kamkolak  Rakeb ;  these  are 
free  men ;  then  follow  the  slaves,  viz.,  the  powerful  agid  el  Bahr ;  then  Fadal- 
alle,  the  agid  of  the  J'aatena ;  S'ald,  agid  of  the  Salamat ;  then  Danna ;  Dagga, 
who  is  the  E'dderi  of  the  army,  that  is  to  say,  he  has  the  command  of  the  rear; 
then  Magene ;  El  Horr ;  Hanno,  the  Agid  of  the  Hamlde,  who  is  not  a  slave, 
but  a  native  of  Waday ;  Jerma  Shogoma ;  KafFa,  and  others. 


HOUSEHOLD  OF  THE  SULTAN. 


659 


There  arc  several  captains  of  the  sultan's  own  cavalry  with  the  title  of  Jerma: 
as  Jerma  Anganitii,  Jerma  Dhohob,  J.  Rebek,  J.  Kaukob,  J.  Hassan,  J.  Siyade, 
J.  Dhahab,  J.  Fiidhl,  who  has  his  station  generally  in  Kinem,  J.  ^longo.  and 
J.  Benay, 

Household  of  the  Sultan. — The  principal  persons  composing  the  household  of 
the  Sultan  of  Waday  are  the  kolotus  and  the  merams,  the  former  title  being 
given  to  every  son  of  the  monarch,  and  the  latter  to  all  his  daughters.  Of 
kolotus  there  were,  during  my  stay  in  Bagi'rmi,  five.  Mohammed,  the  heir 
apparent,  who  already  at  that  time  was  said  not  to  be  on  good  terms  with  his 
father,  was  born  of  a  Piillo  or  Fellatm'ye  woman,  whom  Mohammed  Saleh  mar- 
ried in  Kordofan,  and  for  this  reason  the  greater  part  of  the  people  of  Waday 
did  not  wish  him  to  succeed  to  the  sovereign  power.  'AH  and  A'dim  were  bom 
of  one  and  the  same  mother,  ]Madem  Shekoma.  Khodr,  the  third  son,  and 
Makhmudi,  are  by  another  mother.  After  the  kolotus  and  merams  follow  the 
habbabat,  or,  as  the  "Wadawy  call  them  in  their  own  tongue,  eli'si  (sing,  eli'k),  the 
wives  or  concubines  of  the  sultan,  of  whom  Shekoma  and  Sokay  were  said  to  be 
the  favorites. 

The  officers  who  have  the  management  of  the  household  of  the  monarch,  or 
part  of  it,  under  their  inspection,  are  as  follows :  the  barakena-koli,  meaning 
royal  sen-ants  in  general;  the  dalali-koh',  or  "siyade  el  alboye,"  who  have  to 
make  and  repair  the  tents ;  the  tuwerat,  or  messengers ;  the  motor-mele,  or 
bearers  of  the  spears ;  the  tangnakoH,  or  pages  and  chamberlains ;  the  ayal- 
legedabe,  or  messengers  waiting  in  the  shed  or  hall,  "  legedabe,"  for  the  occa- 
sional orders  of  their  master ;  then  the  korayat,  or  siyad  el  khe'l,  the  masters  of 
the  horses,  the  gan-afin,  or  "siyad  el  kholgan,"  the  masters  of  the  shirts  and 
"tokaki,"  and,  finally,  the  artu  (sing,  arak),  or,  as  they  are  called  here,  shiukh, 
the  eunuchs,  or  the  masters  of  the  female  department. 

Character  of  the  Towns  and  Villages. — The  dwelling-places  throughout  the 
whole  extent  of  Waday  are  in  general  small ;  and  I  have  been  assured  by  the 
natives  themselves  that  there  is  no  to^^^l  containing  one  thousand  separate 
dwellings.  Indeed  "NVara,  till  recently  the  capital  and  residence  of  the  monarch, 
which  in  1852,  on  account  of  the  seat  of  government  having  been  transferred  to 
Abeshr,  was  every  day  becoming  more  and  more  deserted,  scarcely  contains 
above  four  hundred  houses,  while  Nimro,  the  famous  seat  of  the  Jellaba,  is 
stated  not  to  exceed  two  himdred.  In  general,  the  towns  or  villages  of  the 
Kodoyl  are  said  to  be  the  largest,  some  of  them  containing  as  many  as  six 
hundred  houses,  while  those  of  the  Mimay  are  said  to  be  the  smallest.  But  the 
largest  place  in  the  whole  of  "Waday  is  said  to  be  Kodogus,  two  days  west  from 
Shenmi. 

The  houses  or  huts  consist,  like  those  of  all  the  rest  of  Xegroland,  of  gi-oups 
of  round,  bell-shaped  huts,  made  of  reed,  and  called  "  mahartb"  or  "  samavi" 
in  the  AVaday  language,  inclosed  by  a  wall  or  fence,  "  sheragena-dali,"  and  but 
very  rarely,  as  is  the  case  with  the  houses  of  the  king  and  those  of  the  persons 
of  rank  on  one  side  and  the  Jellaba  on  the  other,  built  of  clay.  But  the  Arabs 
live  in  portable  huts,  made  of  mats  which  they  themselves  manufacture  of  the 
leaves  of  the  deleb-palra,  and  which  are  called  "reri"  by  the  Wadawy. 

Covivurce  and  Marhct-places. — Almost  all  the  commerce,  on  a  large  scale, 
which  IS,  carried  on  in  Waday,  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Jellaba ;  a  considerable 


660 


APPENDIX. 


number  of  this  peculiar  stock,  whom  I  have  not  classed  above  among  the  various 
tribes  inhabiting  that  country,  having  migrated  into  Waday  about  a  hundred 
years  ago  from  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  and  principally,  though  not  exclusively, 
settled  at  present  in  Nimro,  a  place  about  eight  miles  S.W.  from  the  former 
capital.  Separated  into  several  bodies,  these  merchants  by  birth  have  each  of 
them  his  own  route  of  commerce ;  thus  there  is  one  body  of  Jellaba  who  go 
annually  to  Runga;  another  body  frequent  the  copper-mines  south  of  Dar-Filr; 
others  take  their  merchandise  only  to  the  distant  provinces  toward  the  S.W., 
viz.,  the  teiTitory  of  the  Welad  Rashid  and  the  neighboring  pagan  countries  on 
the  borders  of  Bagirmi,  namely,  Bedanga,  Gcgomi,  A'ndi ;  while  others,  again, 
visit  the  markets  of  Bagirmi,  Logon,  and  Bornu ;  some  of  them  visiting  INIas-ena 
during  my  residence  in  such  numbers  that  they  built  a  considerable  village  for 
themselves  outside  of  the  town,  on  the  road  to  A'bu-Gher ;  while  another  band 
visits  annually  the  markets  of  Dar-Fur  and  Kordofan;  others,  and  especially 
the  wealthier  individuals,  frequently  follow  the  recently-opened  caravan-road  to 
Ben-Ghazi,  of  whose  history  M.  Fresnel  has  given  such  an  elaborate  account. 
Each  of  these  bodies,  when  en  route,  has  its  chief  or  agid  appointed  over  them  by 
the  sultan,  to  Avhom  he  is  responsible  for  a  handsome  tax  raised  on  the  profit 
obtained. 

The  principal  objects  of  this  commerce  in  general  are  the  following  articles : 
salt,  brought  by  the  JNIahamid  and  the  Tebu  to  Nimro  and  Wara,  and  bought  by 
the  Jellaba  in  large  quantities,  in  order  to  be  sold  by  them  in  detail  to  the  most 
distant  provinces,  even  as  far  as  Logon ;  copper,  brought  chiefly  from  the  famous 
copper-mine  "  El  Hofrah,"  and  from  Runga,  and  exported  principally  to  Bornu, 
where  it  fetches  a  high  price ;  European  articles,  brought  by  the  caravans  from 
Ben-Ghazi,  or  imported  also  from  Egypt  by  way  of  Dar-Fur,  such  as  fine  clothes, 
bernuses,  coats  of  mail,  beads,  and  other  ornaments,  calico,  paper,  needles,  etc. ; 
ivory,  principally  taken  in  exchange  from  the  Rungawy,  the  "Welad  Rashid,  and 
in  Bagirmi,  in  order  to  be  exported,  with  veiy  great  profit,  from  Wai-a  to  Ben- 
Ghazi  ;  asses,  of  the  eastern  breed,  very  much  in  request  in  the  western  part  of 
Sudan  ;  turkedi ;  tobacco ;  kohol,  and  sundry  other  articles  brought  by  the  retail 
merchants  of  Hausa  to  Bagirmi,  where  they  are  taken  in  exchange  by  the  Jellaba. 
Slaves,  as  in  the  whole  of  Sudan,  are  certainly  the  most  important  article  of 
commerce. 

With  regard  to  the  market-places,  I  have  to  observe  that  there  is  no  consider- 
able market-place  in  the  whole  of  Waday  where  a  person  might  find  the  produc- 
tions of  the  different  parts  of  the  country  collected  together,  neither  at  Wara  nor 
at  Nimro,  nor  in  any  other  place,  and  one  has  to  go  some  distance  in  order  to 
supply  himself  with  the  necessaries  of  life.  Thus  the  people  of  Wara,  as  well 
as  the  Mahami'd,  when  they  wish  to  lay  in  a  provision  of  dukhn,  which  is  their 
principal  food,  have  to  go  to  Gu*re,  a  place  a  little  to  the  west  of  Nimro,  or  to 
the  villages  of  the  Kodoyi' ;  or  else  they  go  to  the  settlements  of  the  Kashemere, 
such  as  Kuldi,  Biitir,  Kiindungo,  Kornaye,  Hejir,  and  others,  while  in  the  southern 
districts  dukhn  is  bought  at  the  cheapest  rate  in  Abker,  Gnamuniya  and  Mistak- 
hede,  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Bat-ha,  principally  in  Dumboli,  Ras  el  fil,  Sum- 
miikedur,  Agilba,  in  a  village  called  Kosiwahed  ("one  hut"),  and  in  Asaige. 

The  standard  price  of  every  article  is  the  tokiya  (pi.  tokaki),  a  term  signifying 
two  long  strips  of  cotton,  measuring  eighteen  dr'a  in  length  and  three  wide, 


jvianufactures  and  learning. 


661 


made  of  smaller  strips,  which,  however,  far  surpass  those  used  in  Bagi'rmi,  B6mu, 
and  all  the  western  parts  of  Sudan  in  width,  though  they  are  much  coarser.  This 
is  the  currency  of  Waday,  and  with  it  all  the  smaller  bargains  are  made,  while 
the  larger  ones  are  made  in  cattle,  in  which  consists  the  chief  wealth  of  the 
"Waday  people  in  general,  or  in  slaves ;  dollars  have  only  lately  been  introduced 
by  the  Ben-Ghazi  merchants.  One  tokiyah  will  fetch,  it  is  said,  three  or  four 
sheep  with  the  Mahamid,  who,  as  has  been  stated  above,  are  very  rich  in  small 
cattle,  and  where,  consequently,  they  are  the  cheapest ;  and  about  thirty  ewes 
will  fetch  a  cow,  while  from  twelve  to  fifteen  cows  are  said  to  buy  a  good  horse. 
As  for  the  price  of  corn,  one  tokiya  is  said  to  buy  from  four  to  five  weba — a 
measure,  eight  of  which  constitute  a  bullock-load  of  dukhn  at  the  time  when  it 
is  dearest,  and  six  after  the  time  of  the  harvest ;  while  a  cow  is  said  to  fetch 
from  thirty  to  thirty-six  weba,  but  the  bullock  only  from  sixteen  to  twenty. 

Mamifactures  and  Productions. — It  is  clear  that  in  a  newly-founded  kingdom, 
such  as  that  of  Waday,  composed  of  a  mere  agglomeration  of  almost  entirely 
barbarous  tribes,  there  can  only  be  very  few  manufactures,  or,  rather,  none  at  all, 
except  the  roughest  productions  of  industry,  such  as  weapons  and  rural  imple- 
ments, made  from  the  iron  found  in  the  country,  while,  besides  iron,  copper  alone 
is  found,  namely,  in  Runga,  and  in  small  proportion  in  the  wadi  called  Jelingak. 
Indeed,  the  Wada^^'y  themselves  do  not  even  know  how  to  make  use  of  the  fine 
indigo  found  in  their  country,  in  order  to  dye  their  clothes,  or  rather  their  shirts, 
as  there  are  very  few  persons  who  are  able  to  afford  any  thing  better  than  this 
most  essential  article  of  dress.  It  is  even  stated  that,  before  the  time  when  the 
considerable  spoil  was  can*ied  away  from  Bagi'nni  by  'Abd  el  Kerim  Sabun,  the 
great  majority  of  the  people  of  "Waday  Avere  clad  in  nothing  but  the  well-known 
faruwa.  As  for  the  business  carried  on  with  indigo,  it  is  entirely  in  the  hands 
of  Bagirmi  or  Bornu  people  established  in  Waday  ;  but  the  Barau  people  are  the 
most  famous  and  numerous,  and  their  settlements  in  the  country,  to  which  great 
importance  is  attached  on  this  account,  are  the  following :  The  greatest  fame  for 
giving  the  finest  tint  of  indigo  to  the  clothes  has  been  obtained  by  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Jemil  e'  Sid,  a  place  situated  two  short  days  S.W.  from  Wara,  and  second 
to  it  is  Birbashon,  another  settlement  of  Bornu  people,  situated  between  Jemil  e' 
Sid  and  Wara ;  west  from  Jemil  e'  Si'd  there  is  another  dyeing  settlement  called 
Shalla,  and  close  to  it  Leyin,  and  likewise  Biren,  a  somewhat  larger  place,  situa- 
ted on  the  Beteha,  two  days  S.W.  from  Wara.  Other  Bornu  dyers  are  estab- 
lished in  Karmgala  (two  days  south  of  Wara),  and  in  Derdigi  (one  day  south 
from  the  former),  while  others,  again,  have  settled  in  Kelingen  Meser,  a  place 
situated  in  the  district  of  the  Kelingen.  But,  nevertheless,  a  black  or  blue  shirt 
is  a  great  luxury  in" Waday,  and  a  mark  of  distinction  for  persons  of  rank ;  in- 
deed, when  on  their  expedition  against  Bornu,  as  related  above,  the  Wadawy 
satisfied  themselves  by  tearing  the  black  shirts  from  the  backs  of  all  the  Bagirmi 
or  Bornu  people  they  could  lay  hold  of,  instead  of  leading  the  persons  themselves 
into  captivity. 

Learrdng. — Certainly  no  one  will  look  for  any  great  amount  of  learning  in 
such  a  country  as  Waday ;  but  the  Wadawy  fakihs  and  'Ulama  are  the  most  fa- 
mous of  all  nations  in  Sudan  for  their  knowledge  of  the  Kuran,  the  Fulbe  or  Fel- 
lani  not  excepted.  But  besides,  they  possess  several  small  books  or  tracts,  which 
are  generally  read  as  well  as  the  Kuran,  partly  for  grammatical,  partly  for  relig- 


662 


APPENDIX. 


ions  instruction,  namely,  Noh,  Elfiye,  Khalfl,  Resala,  A'khdar-Mandhum,  A'kh- 
dar-Mansur,  Bakadi,  Ta'alik,  Abii-el-Hassan,  Thaman  al  jenne,  'A'jeli  or  A'ujeli 
el  kiibbara,  A'ujeli-el-ustha,  and  others.  As  for  the  Sheriya,  it  is  exercised  with 
ability  by  these  fakihs  or  doctors  ;  but  the  Siyasa,  or  the  usage  of  the  country,  has 
greater  authority  than  the  book. 

The  greatest  doctor  in  Waday,  at  the  present  time,  is  stated  unanimously  to  be 
a  man  belonging  to  the  A'bu-Shan'b,  and  generally  kno\yn  merely  under  the 
name  of  Fakih-el-bahr,  who  spent  many  years  with  Mohammed  Saleh  when  he 
was  wandering  homeless  about,  and  probably  on  this  account  was  not  put  to 
death  by  the  fierce  king  who  has  executed  a  considerable  number  of  learned 
men,  and,  among  others,  the  Sheikh-el-Heran,  a  gi-eat  doctor,  belonging  also  to 
the  more  spirited  tribe  of  the  A'bii-Sharib,  on  the  pretext  that  he  had  betrayed 
him  to  his  enemies  the  Kodoyi ;  he  likewise  executed  the  great  and  learned 
imam  Mohammed  Girga. 

Food. — I  shall  conclude  this  notice  of  Waday  with  a  few  obseryations  on  the 
food  of  its  inhabitants.  As  in  most  parts  of  Sudan,  it  consists  principally  of 
dukhn  or  pennisetum  typhoideum ;  but  they  haye  also  some  wheat  and  rice. 
The  people  of  AVaday  haye  a  plentiful  supply  of  meat,  and  are  tolerably  well  pro- 
yided  with  milk  and  butter,  and  are,  therefore,  not  obliged  to  haye  recourse  eyeri' 
day  to  that  insipid  broth  made  of  dried  and  powdered  fish,  formed  into  a  sort  of 
loaf,  and  in  this  form  called  "  mendichek,"  the  dried  fish,  preseryed  in  its  natu- 
ral form,  being  called  "  fertene."  On  the  contrary,  they  haye  a  tolerably  good 
variety  of  dishes,  of  which  I  shall  give  a  short  list,  without,  however,  being  able 
to  explain  the  exact  preparation  of  each.  But  first  I  must  observ^e  that  the  peo- 
ple of  Waday  do  not  make  any  use  of  the  funduk  or  karru,  the  large  wooden 
mortar  so  exclusively  used  over  other  parts  of  Negroland,  but  grind  their  dukhn 
on  stones,  their  country  being  rather  of  a  stony  character,  while  in  many  parts 
of  Bornu  and  Bagi'rmi  not  a  single  stone  is  seen.  As  far  as  the  dishes  are  pre- 
pared of  dukhn,  the  following  are  the  principal  ones  :  first  the  dami'rge,  the  com- 
mon daily  dish  ;  then  masaffa,  a  very  favorite  dish  in  "Waday ;  reshefa,  another 
dish  of  dukhn,  prepared  with  milk ;  takarin,  prepared  with  the  fat  of  oxen  instead 
of  milk ;  kissere,  denasi,  amkoshu,  suri,  kokor,  'ajlne  amrafa,  rototo,  and  subay ; 
another  dish  made  of  sesamum  and  called  amkeleno.  Then  their  various  sweet- 
meats, as  the  kllikab,  prepared  with  corn  and  honey ;  the  mattaba,  made  of  rice 
and  honey ;  the  kak,  made  of  corn  or  rice,  with  butter,  honey,  and  dates ;  the 
'ajme  zerka;  and,  finally,  the  faworo,  made  of  dates  boiled  in  milk,  and  then 
left  to  cool.  Of  the  dishes  of  meat,  the  weka  and  the  shaham  el  kebel  are  the 
most  celebrated.  As  for  drinking,  it  is  well-known  that  almost  all  the  people 
of  Waday  indulge  in  an  intoxicating  beverage  called  merisa  by  the  Arabs,  of 
which  there  are  three  species — the  bilbil  or  red,  the  akebesh  or  white,  and  the 
"hal." 

I  can  not  conclude  this  account  of  Waday  without  stating  that  the  whole  of  it 
was  drawn  up  in  Bagi'rmi  in  the  year  1852.  I  did  not  see  Le  Voyaye  au  Ouaddy, 
published  in  1851,  by  Jouiard  et  Perron,  till  1855,  and  have  not  changed  a  word 
in  it.  The  account  of  the  Sheikh  el  Tiinsi  is  extremely  valuable  with  regard  to 
the  private  life  of  the  people,  but  full  of  exaggerations  with  regard  to  public  af- 
fairs ;  for  example,  the  strength  of  the  army,  the  tribute  paid  by  Bagirmi,  and 
so  on. 


APPENDIX  X. 


COLLECTION  OF  ITINERARIES  FOR  FIXING  THE  TOFOCxRAPHY  OF  WA'DA'Y, 
AND  THOSE  PARTS  OF  BAGI'RMI  WHICH  I  DID  NOT  VISIT  MYSELF. 

I.  Roads  from  Mas-ena  to  "Wara,  E.N.E. 

(a.)  Route  of  Hdj  Bu-hakr  Sad'ik  of  Bdkadd,  who  performed  this  journey  three  times. 
March,  about  six  hours  per  diem. 

Day. 

1st.  Balawu,  a  large  Bagirmi  place,  with  a  sheikh  of  its  own  ;  pass  Bldderi  on 

the  road — the  place  mentioned  repeatedly  in  my  journey. 
2d.  Dflfin,  a  Bagirmi  place.    The  wells  all  about  here  are  deep. 
Sd.  Kinji,  the  last  place  of  Bagirmi  proper,  already  mixed  with  Shuwa.* 
4th.  Wenese,  a  Shuwa  place  with  cultivated  fields. 

5th.  Birka,  a  place  of  the  Welad  Musa,  represented  as  the  most  warhke  tribe 

of  Shuwa  hereabouts. 
6th.  Tiimsa,  a  place  inhabited  by  Kuka,  but  belonging  to  Bagirmi. 
7th.  No  village.    Having  arrived  about  noon,  you  start  again  in  the  evening, 

and,  after  a  short  pause,  reach  in  the  morning 
8th.  Gela,  the  first  place  of  Fittrl. 

9th.  Melme,  a  considerable  place,  with  a  great  market,  held  every  Tuesday. 
The  direction,  having  been  hitherto  nearly  north,  now  turns  east. 

10th.  Y'awo,  the  capital  of  Fittri,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Bat-ha,  and  not  far 
from  its  junction  with  the  (lake)  Fittri,  a  large  but  open  place  (built  by 
the  Bulala,  before  whose  arrival  and  settlement  in  the  country  Kiidu 
was  the  capital  of  Fittri),  the  residence  of  Jurab  ben  A'bu  Sekin,  the 
present  ruler  of  the  Bulala.  The  country  abounds  in  rich  pasture- 
grounds.  The  road  from  Melme  to  Y'awo  forms  an  angle,  first  east, 
further  on  south. 

11th.  Seta,  a  place  of  the  Bulala. 

12th.  HafTr,  encampment  without  a  village,  still  within  the  territory  of  the  Fittri. 

13th.  Jeddada,  no  inhabited  place;  encampment  in  the  sandy  valley  of  the  mean- 
dering Bat-ha,  Avhich,  in  the  dry  season,  forms  only  stagnant  pools  of 
water. 

llth.  Surra,  a  locality  only  temporarily  inhabited  by  the  Arab  tribe  of  the  J'aatena, 
who  frequent  it  during  the  rainy  season.  The  ten-itory  belongs  to  Waday. 
15th.  Difda,  a  place  of  the  Arab  tribe  of  the  Khozam. 
16th.  Nejme,  a  place  of  the  Arab  tribe  of  the  Hemedat. 
17th.  Kunjur,  a  village  of  the  tribe  of  the  Kuka. 

18th.  Dei-mama,  a  place  of  the  tribe  of  the  Kiika.  From  Dei-mama  to  A'bil 
Telfan,  a  great  mountain  inhabited  by  pagans  of  the  tribe  of  the  Dajo, 
one  day,  a  little  south  from  east. 

•  Kinji  is  two  days  E.S.E.  from  Moito,  a  large  place,  east  of  -which  is  a  mountain,  the  only 
one  in  Bagirmi.    See  further  on. 


ArPENDIX. 

Birket  Fatima,  an  extensive  basin  filled  by  the  water  of  the  Bat-ha  beyond 
the  north  limit  of  the  wadi,  with  a  place  of  the  Arab  tribe  of  the  Mas- 
maja,  frequented  likewise  by  the  Erzegat. 
Rahet  el  Khalla,  another  large  pond  of  water,  with  a  hamlet  inhabited  by 
the  Dajo,  a  tribe  of  negroes  under  the  rule  of  Waday,  with  a  language 
of  their  own. 

Ojob,  a  place  of  the  Masalit,  negroes  with  a  peculiar  speech  (ertana). 
Foroli,  a  place  of  the  Siyada,  a  division  of  the  Masalft. 
'Am  Hajar,  a  place  of  the  Masalit. 

Jemest  (Jumez)  el  bedha,  a  place  of  the  Masalit,  on  a  bend  of  the  Bat-ha, 

which  here  comes  from  the  south,  and  which  you  now  leave  behind. 
Boron't,  a  large  village  in  Waday  proper.    You  turn  now  from  east  to 

northeast. 
A'm-shararib,  a  large  village,  Waday. 
Mashek,  a  large  place. 

Nimro,  a  plaee  of  the  Jellaba,  with  clay  houses.    The  well  is  three  fathoms 

deep.  South  of  Nimro  lies  Tolfu,  a  place  situated  on  a  mountain. 
Wara,  the  capital  of  Waday,  inclosed  on  all  sides  by  sand-hills,  leaving 
only,  both  on  the  south  and  the  north  sides,  a  single  passage  for  access 
to  the  town.  By  the  south  entrance  (the  Lingak  Embelkena)  you  enter 
the  town,  leaving  the  hamlet  Bilrtay  on  one  side.  With  the  exception 
of  the  palace,  all  the  dwellings  consist  of  reed.  The  Fasher,  or  council- 
place,  is  nothing  but  a  spacious  open  square,  planted  with  trees  (of  the 
kind  called  here  sayal).  The  wells  within  the  town  are  nine  fathoms 
deep ;  those  outside  are  of  less  depth.  The  palace  lies  on  a  range  of 
hills  on  the  east  side.  The  Avestern  range  of  hills  is  called  Tire,  contains 
several  huts,  and  has  a  military  guard.  W.N.W.  from  Wara  lies  Tona, 
and  at  a  short  distance  south  lies  Gandigin.  Nimro  from  Wara  is  about 
eight  miles. 

(b.)  Route  of  the  Fdki  I'hraMm,from  the  A'hit  Shdrib  Mcnagon,  from  Bororit  to 
Mas-end.     West,  somewhat  south. 

1st.  Hillet  e'  Sheikh,  a  large  village  inhabited  by  the  slaves  of  the  sultan,  by 
the  Zoyiid  Arabs,  and  by  the  Bulala.  You  pass  in  the  morning  several 
small  hamlets,  and  stop  during  the  heat  of  the  day  (from  ten  to  three  or 
four  o'clock)  at  Angurma  Tawemat,  a  place  of  the  Dar  Zoyiid,  at  some 
distance  north  of  the  Bat-ha,  which  has  received  the  Beteha  at  Malam. 

2d.  A'm-debang,  a  large  place  inhabited  by  Kuka,  situated  in  sandy  soil  (goz), 
about  one  day  and  a  half  north  of  the  Bat-ha.  The  heat  of  the  day  is 
passed  at  the  village  of  JNIodu,  on  the  rahet  Saribe,  a  pond  with  a  clayey 
soil,  fed  by  the  water  coming  from  the  north. 

3d.  A  large  place  of  the  Zoyiid,  name  not  known.  Stop  during  the  heat  at  D6- 
keat,  a  place  of  the  same  tribe  of  the  Zoyud.  Within  Dar  Waday  the 
villages  of  the  Arabs  consist  of  huts  of  reed  ;  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the 
country,  of  portable  huts  of  matting,  called  "veri"  by  the  Waday  people. 

4th.  Sheg  el  hajilij,  a  place  of  the  Kiika  and  Bulala,  under  Agid  Fadalallah,  at 
some  distance  from  the  Bat-ha.  Stop  during  the  heat  of  the  day  at  an- 
other village,  whose  name  my  informant  has  forgotten. 


66i 

Pay. 
19t"h. 


20th. 


21st. 

22d. 

23d. 
24th. 

25th. 

26th. 
27th. 
28th. 

29th. 


FA'KI  I'BRAHI'M'S  ROUTE.  665 

Day. 

5th.  Encamp  in  the  open  air  on  nega,  sterile  land,  without  an  inhabited  place, 

and  without  water,  talha  being  the  only  vegetation.    Stop  duiing  the  heat 

at  A'm-birke,  a  small  place. 
6th.  A'm-jumezi,  a  place  adoraed  by  sycamores,  "  jumez ;"  stop  during  the  heat 

at  a  place  of  the  Bulala. 
7th.  Khatit,  a  village  of  the  Bulala.    n^rahim,  remaining  the  whole  moraing  at 

A'm-jumezi,  started  at  'aser ;  consequently,  Khatit  is  only  distant  from 

the  former  a  few  miles. 
8th.  A  small  hamlet.    Stop  during  the  heat  of  the  day  at  a  place  inhabited  by 

Boruu  people. 

9th.  Ngarruwendi,  a  considerable  place  of  the  Missiriye ;  stop  during  the  heat 
at  A'm-Sheray,  a  Pullo  or  Fellata  place,  with  numerous  cattle. 

10th.  A'rda,  a  village  of  the  Kiika  and  Bulala  on  the  Bat-ha ;  stop  during  the 
heat  at  Shebina,  a  considerable  place  of  the  Kdka,  who  formerly  possessed 
there  much  power,  situated  on  the  Bat-ha.  On  the  banks  of  the  Bat-ha 
the  deieb-palm  at  present  has  entirely  disappeared,  all  the  trees  having 
been  cut  down  during  the  great  famine  which  prevailed  seventeen  years 
ago,  in  order  to  feed  on  the  nourishing  pith  or  core. 

11th.  A'm-alawi,  a  considerable  place,  inhabited  by  Waday  and  the  J'aatena 
Arabs,  at  some  distance  from  the  Bat-ha,  which  here  turns  southward. 
As  far  as  A'm-alawi,  where  I  brahim  stopped  two  days,  the  whole  district 
belongs  to  Dar  Maba,  or  Waday  proper.  Stop  in  the  morning  at  a  small 
hamlet.    From  A'rda  you  turn  a  little  N.  by  W. 

12th.  Encamp  in  the  sandy  bed  of  the  Bat-ha,  without  an  inhabited  place.  Surra 
is  left  to  the  right  in  the  north  bend  of  the  wadi.  My  informant  did  not 
stop  for  the  heat  during  these  days,  but  traveled  on  from  morning  till 
noon. 

13th.  Kharub,  in  the  bed  of  the  Bat-ha ;  no  inhabited  place. 
14th.  Jeddada,  open  encampment  in  the  Bat-ha. 
loth.  Seta,  a  village  of  the  Bulala  in  their  district  of  Fittri. 
16th.  Gdmsa,  a  place  of  the  Bulala  on  the  south  bank. 

17th.  Y'awa  or  Y'awo,  capital  of  the  Bulala,  close  to  the  north  bank  of  the  Bat-ha. 

Mi'ddogo  is  from  here  about  twelve  hours  S.S.E. 
18th.  Melme,  a  considerable  market-place,  consisting  of  three  hamlets,  close  to 

the  north  bank  of  the  (lake)  Fittri.    Between  Y'awo  and  Melme  the  road 

describes  an  angle. 

19th.  Encamp  in  a  forest  at  midnight,  having  stopped  during  the  heat  at  a  well, 
and  started  thence  at  dhohor.  Up  to  this  well  the  road  follows  a  westerly 
direction ;  from  here  to  Mas-eiia  it  keeps  south.* 

20th.  Moito,  the  first  place  in  Bagirmi,  which,  however,  has  to  pay  a  separate 
tribute  of  400  shirts  to  the  agid  el  bahr.  IVIoito  comprises  five  villages, 
three  of  which  lie  in  a  line  on  the  southern  foot  of  a  rocky  eminence, 
and  two  at  the  eastern  foot  of  another.  The  road  to  Fittri  runs  between 
the  two  rocky  ridges,  which  are  of  considerable  elevation,  and  the  eastern 
one  of  which  extends  to  a  great  length.  At  the  easternmost  village  of  the 
western  group  a  market  is  held  twice  a  week,  every  Tuesday  and  Thurs- 

•  This  is  a  very  important  circumstance,  which  explains  all  the  errors  of  JL  Fresnel  in  con- 
structing his  incomplete  itineraries. 


(3GG  APPENDIX. 

Day. 

day,  but  is  much  less  important  than  that  of  ^Melme.  Moi'to  is  the  resi- 
dence of  a  khah'fa  of  the  Sultan  of  Bagirmi.*  Stop  during  the  heat  in 
the  morning  in  hillelat  (small  villages)  of  the  Kuka,  and  start  at  dhohor ; 
arrive  late  in  INIoi'to. 

21st.  Ilillet  'Arab,  which  vou  reach  in  the  morning,  having  started  in  the  even- 
ing, and  slept  on  the  "  nega." 

22d.  Garra,  in  the  morning,  having  started  in  the  evening,  and  slept  at  a  place 
belonging  to  some  Arabs. 

23d.  Jilas,  having  started  in  the  morning,  and  passed  the  heat  at  a  place  of  the 
Kuka. 

24:th.  A'bu-Gher,  a  place  of  some  importance  on  account  of  its  Saturday  market, 
and  comprising  two  villages  separated  from  each  other  by  the  market- 
place. The  place  is  of  Pullo  or  Fellata  origin ;  and  the  southern  village 
is  entirely  inhabited  by  Fulbe,  while  the  northern  one  is  occupied  by 
small  tradespeople.  The  name,  as  far  as  I  know,  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  abu  kern  or  rhinoceros. 

2oth.  Sobiyo,  a  village  of  the  M'allem  Saleh  Tynjurawi,  a  very  learned  faki. 
Arrive  early  in  the  morning,  having  started  in  the  evening  and  slept  on 
the  road. 

26th.  Mas-ena,  the  capital  of  Bagi'rmi,  after  a  short  march.  From  A'bu-Gher, 
direction  S.S.E. 

(c.)  Route  of  the  Fdki  'Ali  Maldnga  from  Mds-fnd  to  Wdra. 
1st.  A'bu-Gher. 

2d.  Yelas,  the  Bagirmi  place  above-mentioned. 
3d.  A^bii  Gen-a. 

4th.  Mofto,  a  group  of  villages  skirting  some  rocky  eminences.  Seven  hours 
north  from  Moi'to  lies  the  A-illage  of  Auni,  likewise  on  a  rocky  eminence;! 
one  day  N.W.  Gosus,  also  on  a  hill ;  A'ngora,  a  place  of  the  Kuka,  two 
days  N.E. 

5th.  Kalkalle,  a  Bagh'mi  place.    A  long  march. 

6th.  Melme,  a  large  place,  with  small  hamlets  lying  in  the  neighborhood. 
7th.  Seta,  a  large  place  north  of  the  Bat-ha.    Y'awo  is  left  on  the  right. 
8th.  Surra,  encampment  without  any  inhabited  place. 
9th.  Jeddada,  encampment  only. 
10th.  Geltsa,  encampment. 

11th.  Uifde,  a  village  of  the  Salamat  and  Kuka,  who  use  the  water  of  the  Bat-ha, 

which  here  makes  a  bend  toward  the  north. 
12th.  A'm-alawi,  a  place  of  the  Malanga,  distant  from  the  Bat-ha,    A  short 

march.    The  Menazel  Sultan  extends  from  ^Vara  as  far  as  this  place. 
13th.  Ngaruwendi,  a  place  of  the  "\Yelad  Hasen,  distant  from  the  Bat-ha,  which 

has  turned  toward  the  south. 
14th.  Esheraya,  a  hamlet  of  the  Fulbe  or  Fellata. 

loth.  Tawile,  a  place  of  the  Jellaba,  with  clay  dwellings  and  reed  huts,  distant 
from  the  Bat-ha. 

*  This  place  has  been  repeatedly  mistaken  for  the  capital  of  Bagirmi  even  by  M.  Fresnel. 
t  This  place  Auni  is  evidently  identical  with  the  homonymous  place  mentioned  above  in  the 
itinerary  of  the  King  Edris  Alawoma. 


EOUTE  FROM  WA'RA  TO  SHENI'NI. 


667 


16th.  Birre,  a  place  of  the  M'allem  :Mohajar,  the  agid  of  the  Sebbade,  Birket 
Fatima,  the  great  place  of  the  Siyade  Masmaje,  and  residence  of  their 
agi'd,  with  clay  and  reed  luits,  is  six  hours  south  from  here. 

17th.  A'bii  Gerra,  a  large  place  of  the  Welad  Bii  S'aid. 

18th.  Berega,  a  place  of  the  Malanga.    A  good  march. 

19th.  Megera,  a  place  of  the  Tynjur  and  Jellaba  on  the  wadi  Elma,  which  extends 
toward  the  north  into  the  gizan. 

20th.  Dokeat,  a  considerable  place  of  the  nas  (people  of)  GIrri,  on  a  wadi  abound- 
ing with  lions  and  rhinoceroses. 

21st.  DugguH,  a  place  of  thi  Rashid  Arabs,  Fokara  zuwaye,  close  to  A'm-debang. 
22d.  A'm-bateta,  a  place  of  the  Missin've  Arabs  in  the  nega,  no  wadi. 
23d.  Tammedal  Hummelan  with  Missiriye  Arabs. 

24th.  Bir  Sunta,  an  opulent  place  of  Bornu  tradesmen. 

25th,  B.ri  Yoyo,  a  place  of  the  jNIagena  Makhraiidi. 

26th.  A'm-Zet,  a  place  of  the  Fokara  of  the  Missiriye,  with  a  small  zaraf. 

27th.  A'm-shererib,  a  place  of  the  Terjem,  near  three  eminences  consisting  of  a 
red-colored  rock. 

28th.  A'm-dekik,  a  place  of  the  nas  Glrri,  founded  by  Sabun,  and  called  by  the 

people  Karnak  Waday. 
29th.  Fi'rsha,  a  place  of  the  nas  Manga. 
30th.  Kaltegge,  a  place  of  the  Manga. 

31st.  Nimro,  a  Jellaba  place,  with  the  great  faki  Goni  Mercs. 
32d.-  Wara. 

II.  Routes  in  the  Interior  of  Wadat. 
(a.)  FdJci  Tbrah'im's  Route  from  Wdra  to  Shenini.  South. 

1st.  Abeshr,  formerly  a  small  place  of  the  Kelingen,  but,  three  years  ago  having 
become  the  residence  of  Sultan  Sherif,  more  densely  inhabited,  and  con- 
taining also  some  clay  huts.  Arrive  about  dhohor,  having  in  the  morn- 
ing passed  Tara,  Menzel  Sultan  (where  Yiisuf  Kharifaym  died,  and  which 
was  formerly  a  large  place) ;  further  on,  Kay-wana,  a  considerable  village; 
then  Gananga,  Nyalang  (a  place  of  the  Jellaba),  Jikub,  and  finally  U'tulo. 
From  Abeshr  to  Nimro  is  a  long  march. 

2d.  Kelingen  Kiri,  a  hilly  place  belonging  to  the  sultan  (whose  mother  is  a 
native  of  it),  and  the  residence  of  the  Kamkolak  Rakeb.  Ddebat  has 
been  passed  on  the  way. 

3d.  Ki'nji  Mmrak,  a  place  of  the  Kajanga,  who  inhabit  about  forty  villages  in 
this  hilly  region,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Beteha.  Stop  during  the  heat 
in  Errin-manga,  in  a  level  tract  of  country. 

4th.  Defiam,  a  village  of  the  A'bii  Sharib,  having  passed  in  the  morning  A'm- 
dirdi,  a  place  of  the  Kajanga ;  Farrel,  and  Gandigin,  situated  at  the  western 
foot  of  a  rocky  eminence.  Stop  during  the  heat  at  Bedme ;  pass  Gun- 
gerum — all  places  of  the  Kajanga — then  Kordufal,  and  finally  Gelebe, 
the  native  place  of  my  informant  Faki  I  brahim. 

5th.  Shenini,  a  place  of  the  A'bu  Sharib  Menagon  and  Mararit,  who  are,  how- 
ever, mixed  with  the  BUi,  the  Kodoyi,  the  Mi'mi,  the  Gananga,  the  Bu- 
lala,  and  the  Khozam  Arabs.  Pass  in  the  morning  A'm-burtunii,  a  place 
of  the  Dajo  at  the  northern  foot  of  a  rocky  eminence,  at  the  western  foot 


668  APPENDIX. 
Day. 

of  which  lies  a  place  of  the  Jellaba,  and  to  the  east  of  which  lies  a  place 
of  the  Missiriye.  Having  turned  west  round  the  hill,  you  pass  the  wadi 
El  Ilamra,  a  wide  valley,  which,  in  its  upper  course,  near  the  villages 
Koriyo,  Giindur,  etc.,  is  overgrown  with  deleb-palms,  date-palms,  and 
'ardeb — here,  however,  producing  corn.  The  valley  toward  the  S.W., 
near  Sunkutu  Malam,  joins  that  of  the  Bat-ha.  Further  on  you  traverse 
a  "  nega"  or  "  elan,"  a  plain  overgrown  with  talha,  and  reach,  ultimately, 
Habile,  a  place  of  the  A'bii  Sharib,  with  M'allem  Zakhariye,  where  you  stop 
during  the  heat.  Then  you  pass  A'bluban,  ^here  the  wadi  Habile  joins 
the  wadi  El  Hamra,  and  reach  Shenmi,  having  passed  the  deep  and  ex- 
pansive wadi  Dirrengek,  which  runs  toward  the  wadi  El  Hamra. 

(6.)  From  Shenmi  to  Borortt,  by  xcay  of  O'grogb^  according  to  the  FdJd  TbraMm. 

1st.  Abkar  'Abd  el  Khalik,  a  village  of  the  district  of  Abkar,  which,  besides  this, 
comprises  the  following  villages  :  Abkar  Jembong,  one  of  the  largest 
villages  in  Waday,  with  about  600  huts,  A.  Mototong,  A.  Bendalang, 
A.  Tawalibe,  A.  A'mjedage,  A.  Hejellijong,  A.  Hejerbasan  (called  by  the 
Arabs  "Hajar  A'bii  Hassan"),  A.  Gognotang,  A.  Dillit,  A.  Jemi'l  e'  Sid. 
Having  in  the  morning  first  turned  west,  you  cross  the  wadi  El  Hamra, 
and  pass  the  village  of  Mustakhede,  then  turn  N.W.,  and  cross  the  wadi 
"Warringek,  which  is  close  on  the  right,  and  pass  the  village  Rogrogo ; 
stop  during  the  heat  at  Meri,  a  place  of  the  Ogodongde  and  Gamara ; 
having  then  crossed  the  wadi  Warringek,  which,  between  Rogrogo  toward 
the  west,  and  A^bluban  east,  joins  the  wadi  El  Hamra,  you  pass  Serfra, 
Magallemek,  all  on  the  west  bank  of  the  wadi  Warringek,  and,  lastly, 
A.  Hejellijong,  close  before  you  reach  A.  'Abd  el  Khalik. 

2d.  Namwiirren,  a  place  of  the  Kajanga,  passing  in  the  morning  Hamiyen,  the 
only  place  in  Waday  possessing  warm  springs  of  fresh  water,  in  a  district 
distinguished  by  some  small  rocky  hills,  and  close  to  the  wadi  Warringek. 
The  water  is  so  warm  that  you  can  not  put  your  hand  into  it ;  but  it  soon 
cools  in  the  air.  In  Hamiyen  resides  Faki  J'abur,  of  the  A'bu  Sharib. 
Passing  then  Sakhali,  a  place  of  the  Bandala,  you  halt,  during  the  heat, 
at  Karangalak.  In  the  afternoon  you  cross  once  more  the  wadi  Warrin- 
gek, which,  in  its  upper  course,  comes  from  N.W.  from  Morro,  a  place  of 
the  Kajanga,  from  whence  it  proceeds  to  the  nega  Ajaje,  thence  to  Marfa, 
and  thence  east  to  Kulbu,  distant  three  hours  W.N.W.  from  Hamiyen. 
From  Karangalak  you  come  to  Kirengel,  a  place  of  the  Bandala,  situated 
on  the  west  and  north  side  of  the  wadi  Karengelnak,  which,  by  way  of 
Nyara,  where  it  is  joined  by  the  wadi  Korkoto,  runs  south  toward  the 
wadi  Warringek.  The  country,  "  goz"  (sand)  and  "  tin"  (clay),  stretches 
to  Himeda,  and  thence  to  Namwiirren. 

3d.  Jombo  Fokaran,  on  the  Avadi  Ngonjobok,  a  large  wadi,  where  onions  are 
extensively  grown,  and  which,  coming  from  the  north,  joins  the  Beteha, 
which  is  not  far  from  this  place.  Having  in  the  morning  passed  Farin- 
gang,  a  place  of  the  Kajanga,  Kuaigi,  and  further  on  Fiitela  nyammuk 
gwana  ("pour  in  the  butter,"  butter  being  here  \erj  plentiful),  then 
Firti — all  places  of  the  Kajanga — you  cross  the  Beteha,  which  supplies 
the  inhabitants  of  FIrti  with  water,  and  stop,  during  the  heat,  at  Nyemer 


SHEKE'NI  TO  BOHORI'T. 


669 


Hejillje,  a  place  of  the  Kajanga,  but  under  the  authority  of  the  agi'd  of 
the  J  aatena,  N.W.  of  the  Beteha,  which  here  comes  from  the  north. 
Proceeding  then  to  Nyemer  Tergemenge,  still  on  the  Beteha,  which  now 
is  left  on  the  east  side,  you  reach  Jombo. 

4th.  O'grogo  was  reached  by  I'brahi'm  about  kaila,  he  having  passed  Jombo 
Larsheri  on  the  Beteha,  J.  Swebe  and  J.  Dangal,  all  places  inhabited  by 
Waday  people.  From  O'grogo  he  intended  to  proceed  to  the  Mahami'd 
in  the  wadi  'Oradha,  for  the  purpose  of  pursuing  his  studies  among  this 
most  opulent  Arab  tribe.  The  Kodoyf  being,  however,  at  that  time  at 
war  with  the  sultan,  and  the  road  running  between  the  Kelingen  and 
the  Kodoyf  being  unsafe,  he  resolved  to  go  to  Bagirmi,  and  consequently 
changed  his  direction  west,  and  then  N.W.,  toward  Bororit.  He  started 
the  same  day,  and  slept  at  Kinji-Mmrak,  a  large  village  of  the  Kajanga, 
consisting  of  500  huts,  and  the  native  place  of  Saleh  Den-et,  having  passed 
Jombo  Sarkale  and  Gundogm,  a  village  of  the  Kajanga,  consisting  of  three 
hamlets.    West  a  little  south. 

5th.  O'shena,  a  place  of  the  Kashemere,  south  of  the  Beteha.  Having  passed 
in  the  morning  Gosmin,  in  a  sandy  tract,  then  Tongong,  a  small  hamlet 
of  Shekoma,  the  mother  of  Mohammed,  the  eldest  son  of  the  sherif, 
inhabited  by  Kajanga,  then  Jerad,  also  a  Kajanga  place,  on  the  Beteha, 
and  Ofiilek,  a  village  inhabited  by  Moslemin  of  the  tribe  of  the  Dajo,  he 
staid,  during  the  heat,  at  Biren,  a  considerable  place  with  a  mixed  pop- 
ulation consisting  of  nas  Korongo,  Garday,  Kolotang,  and  Jungorang, 
south  of  the  Beteha,  and  sixteen  to  seventeen  hours  south  of  Wara. 
Passing  then  Biren  Kenga,  a  place  of  the  Waday,  and  Kashemere  on 
the  Beteha,  he  arrived  at  O'shena. 

6th.  A'm-kharuba,  a  large  place  of  the  Kashemere,  formerly  belonging  to  AIdu 
Horra,  the  brother  of  the  sherif,  who  fell  in  the  battle  of  Torbigen.  Of 
all  the  inhabitants  of  Waday,  the  Kashemere  prepare  their  meals  in  the 
richest  and  most  palatable  manner.  Pass  in  the  morning  Kelti,  a  con- 
siderable place  of  the  Kashemere,  and  the  village  Biitere,  both  south  of 
the  Beteha,  and  stay,  during  the  heat,  in  Fiinduk,  another  place  of  the 
Kashemere,  quite  close  to  A'm-kharuba. 

7th.  Kaure,  a  place  north  of  the  Beteha,  where  you  stop  for  the  night  on  account 
of  the  good  edibles,  the  Kaure  people  being,  next  to  the  Kashemere,  the 
most  excellent  cooks  in  Waday,  while  next  to  them  in  this  respect  rank 
the  A'bu  Godam  and  the  Marfa.  Crossing  in  the  morning  the  Beteha, 
leaving  Nyangala,  a  place  of  the  Jellaba  north  of  the  Beteha,  on  your 
right  hand,-  and  bending  a  little  north  from  west,  you  pass  Hijjerat,  a 
place  of  the  people  of  the  shiiikh  (eunuchs)  of  the  habbabat  (concubines 
of  the  sultan),  at  some  distance  from  the  Beteha,  and  stay  during  the 
heat  in  Hijjer,  not  very  far  from  the  Beteha,  foiTuerly  a  place  of  Fatima, 
the  shen'f's  favorite  daughter,  who  died  at  Torbigen  ;  at  present  the  vil- 
lage is  transferred  to  a  daughter  of  Shekoma.  From  this  place  Kaure  is 
a  little  south  from  west. 
The  Beteha  bends  from  Kaure  S.W.  to  Malam,  so  called  o|i  account  of  this 
water-course  joining  here  the  Bat-ha  ( "  the  confluence"),  a  place  inhabited 
by  a  clan  of  the  Tama,  ten  or  twelve  hours  south  a  little  west  from  Kaure. 


070  APPENDIX. 
Day. 

8th.  Bororit,  a  large  place,  "  Menzel  Sultan,"  inhabited  by  Kashemerc,  Waday, 
Arabs,  and  Welad  Hushta  (domestics  of  the  former  sultans),  consisting 
of  about  twenty  hamlets,  the  largest  of  which  is  called  Boron't  Hajar. 
Pass  in  the  morning  several  small  hamlets,  in  one  of  which  you  stop 
during  the  heat  of  the  day. 

(c.)  From  Wdra  to  Dumta,  the  first  Place  in  Ddr-Far^  according  to  Hdj  Sadik. 
[About  10  miles  per  diem.] 
1st.  Gattakarak,  a  place  of  the  Waday. 
2d.  Gattakarak,  a  place  of  the  Kelingen. 
3d.  "Waweleda,  a  place  of  the  Waday. 

4th.  Kelmedi,  a  large  place  of  the  Sungori,  with  a  considerable  market-place 
("  tarf  e'  dar"),  the  last  place  in  Waday.  East  from  this  place  are  some 
rocky  hills,  which  occasionally  serve  as  hiding-places  to  the  Tama  high- 
way robbers. 

5th.  Tumtubaya,  a  well  in  the  khalla  or  wilderness. 

6th.  Asunga,  a  wadi  overgrown  with  deleb-palms,  and  with  running  water  in  the 
rainy  season.  (Wadi  Asunga,  according  to  all  appearance,  is  identical 
with  Wadi  Kiya.) 

7th.  Dumta,  the  first  place  in  Dar-Fur. 

Dumta,  according  to  Haj  Sadik,  is  eight  days'  journey  from  Kebkabiye : 

Day. 

1st.  Bir  Degi'g,  a  place  with  a  separate  ertana  (jargon). 

2d.  O'ra,  \ 

3d.  A'm-dukhen,  >•  villages. 
4th.  Kulkulaya,  ) 
5th.  Konge,  with  a  great  mosque. 

Gth,  Wadi  Bare,  a  densely  inhabited  valley,  stretching  S.S.E. 
7th.  Sultan  'Omar,  a  large  place  on  the  Bare,  at  the  foot  of  a  rocky  eminence. 
8th.  Kebkabi'ye,  a  large  place  of  the  Jellaba,  with  clay  houses,  and  a  much-fre- 
quented market,  held  every  Tuesday  and  Thursday.    W^arm  springs. 

From  Kebkabiye  to  Tendelti,  eight  days  : 

Day. 

1st.  BIr  Nabe'k,  a  well  in  the  wilderness,  in  the  Marra  mountains. 

2d.  Kaura,  a  well,  with  some  slight  cultivation,  in  the  mountains. 

3d.  Kuru,  a  place  in  the  mountains,  with  mosque. 
4th.  Shebena,  a  place  of  the  Jellaba,  in  the  wadi. 
5th.  Jello,  a  place,  with  clay  huts,  of  the  Jellaba. 
6th.  Mowele,  a  place  with  clay  houses  and  reed  huts ;  wells  deep. 
7th.  Maddub,  a  small  place. 
8th.  Tendelti,  the  capital  of  Dar-Fur. 

(d.)  From  Shenini  to  Dumta,  according  to  Fdki  rbrahim. 
1st.  Derjili,  a  place  of  the  'Ali,  blacks,  with  a  separate  ertana  or  jargon.  Pass 
in  the  morning  Barekalla,  and  stop  for  the  heat  at  Mfchiri,  also  villages 
of  the  'All. 


SHENI'NI  TO  JURLU'.— NYE'SERE'.  671 

Day. 

2d.  Burtay,  a  group  of  two  villages,  of  the  'Ali.    Stop  for  the  heat  at  Alashi. 

3d.  Harrunek,  a  considerable  place  in  the  mountains,  inhabited  by  Masalit  and 
'Ah ;  arrive  before  dhohor,  at  about  two  o'clock.  Pass  in  the  morning 
Saiiigo,  likewise  a  place  of  the  'All,  in  the  mountains,  where  the  wadi 
Bat-ha  commences,  two  days  E.N.E.  from  A'm-gontura,  a  place  of  the 
Kubu. 

4th.  Dulla,  a  place  of  the  Masalit,  in  a  plain. 

5th.  Klya,  a  wadi  with  clayey  soil,  and  with  deleb-palms  and  another  tree  called 
jakh-jakh ;  in  its  upper  course  called  Asiinga.  Stop  during  the  heat  at 
M'amiir,  a  pond  of  water  at  the  base  of  a  rocky  eminence. 

6th.  Murli,  a  place  of  the  INIasali't,  but  already  belonging  to  Fur.  Pass  in  the 
morning  Wadi  Kaja;  halt  there  during  the  heat. 

7th.  Dumta,  a  small  place  with  a  few  date-palms,  "mukdam  Hanaff"  (the  res- 
idence of  Hanaf  i). 

(e.)  From  Shenini  to  Jurlu,  according  to  the  Fdki  ThraMm. 
1st.  O'guma,  a  village  of  the  A'bii  Sharib,  passing  A'bluban  and  Habile. 
2d.  Adekke,  a  place  in  the  hills,  inhabited  by  the  Kuka,  passing  Glegis,  Were, 
Shakh-hen,  all  occupied  by  the  A'bu  Sharib ;  then  Tara,  a  village  in  the 
'  mountains  ;  Tara  Gororgora,  a  place  of  the  Tama ;  and  Gaskunji,  a  place 
of  the  Kuka. 

3d.  Beteha,  the  valley,  without  an  inhabited  place,  passing  Tynjung  and  Kul- 
tumo,  both  inhabited  by  nas  Waday,  and  Tammam,  all  situated  in  the 
plain.  Tammam  is  occupied  by  the  Sungori. 
4th.  Juriu,  a  place  in  the  mountains,  inhabited  by  the  Sungori,  who,  along  with 
the  Masalit,  occupy  all  this  tract  down  from  the  Beteha.  Jurlu  is  the 
residence  of  the  higher  classes  of  the  Sungori.  The  mountain  is  very 
considerable  in  comparison  with  the  other  mountainous  eminences  in 
Wada)  ,  but  nevertheless  not  an  entire  day's  journey  in  breadth.  Ac- 
cording to  I'brahi'm,  the  Beteha  rises  in  this  mountain,  while  the  Bat-ha 
rises  in  the  Sony 6. 

{f.)  Tiie  principal  Villages  along  the  Beteha  from  Biren  upward.    According  to  the 

Fdki  Fhrahim. 

West  of  Biren  lies  Aushena  or  O'shena,  on  the  opposite  or  northern  side  of  the 
wadi  Murshudu ;  then  east,  farther  up,  Ofiila,  a  place  of  the  Dajo,  then  Jeraer  He- 
jilije,  a  place  of  the  Kajanga  and  Kororiyang,  likewise  belonging  to  the  Kajanga 
and  the  Fi'rti,  all  on  the  south  side  of  the  wadi,  while  on  the  north  lies  Gosmmni, 
farther  on  A'mmarga,  then  Shokan — consisting  of  six  or  seven  villages,  viz.,  Sh. 
Kordofan,  Sh.  Bataran,  Sh.  Aberbi,  Sh.  Mini,  (fcc,  all  inhabited  by  the  BOi ;  then, 
east  of  the  latter,  Shime,  a  place  of  the  Mi'mi  and  Koromboy ;  then  Agurbo,  a 
place  of  the  MImi ;  Kuno,  a  place  of  the  Kodoyf  and  Kawak ;  then  follow  the 
villages  of  the  Sungori. 

All  these  villages  arc  remarkable  for  their  cultivation  of  onions.  About  Eti'm, 
west  of  Biren,  near  an  eminence,  corn  is  cultivated  by  slaves  of  the  sultan. 


{g.)  From  Shenini  to  Nyesere.  S.E. 
1st.  A'm-gontura,  a  place  of  the  A'bu  Sharib,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Bat-ha, 


(372  APPENDIX. 
Day. 

which  is  here  joined  by  the  Avadi  Isera,  which  comes  from  Dirjeli,  four 
days  N.W.  of  Biren,  by  way  of  Marfa-O'gumo — Dobbur — Dirjeli.  Pass- 
ing in  the  morning  Barek-alla  of  the  A'bu  Sharib  and  Gumtuj,  a  place 
of  the  Gnorga,  you  stop  during  the  heat  in  Daline,  a  hamlet  of  the 
Gnorga. 

2d.  Ketteke,  a  place  of  the  Masalit.  Passing  in  the  morning  Urulla,  situated 
close  to  A'm-gontura  toward  the  east,  and  Nebbegaga,  both  villages  of 
the  A'bu  Sharib,  you  enter  the  district  of  the  Masah't,  and  pass  their  vil- 
lages of  Ola  Sabbalat  and  Ola  Dabangat. 

3d.  Khalla ;  stop  during  the  heat  in  Wadi  Ki'ya. 

-ith.  Nyesere,  a  place  of  the  Masalit,  or,  more  strictly  speaking,  of  the  Ambus, 
a  division  of  the  Masalit,  who  are  accused  of  cannibaUsm.  This  place 
belongs  already  to  Fur. 

(^.)  From  Shenini  to  the  Moku^  or  Iron  Mines.  West. 

The  Moku  are  situated  near  Shakkayak,  a  place  consisting  of  two  hamlets,  and 
inhabited  by  the  Baniwala,  one  mine  being  close  to  the  place,  the  other  south 
of  it,  on  two  separate  hills,  while  close  to  Shakkayak  on  the  west  there  is  an- 
other mine,  in  a  hill  close  to  the  village  of  Lagiya,  where  100  jerari,  or 
hoes  of  the  shape  here  represented,  may  be  bought  for  one  ox.  The 
iron  from  these  Moku,  which  is  only  broken  in  small  stones  on  the 
surface,  is  manufactured  by  the  blacksmiths  in  the  neighboring  vil- 
lages of  Fahem,  south  of  Shakkayak ;  Al)luban,  south  of  Faliem ;  Muruske,  south 
of  Shakkayak,  and  in  Gosman. 

On  the  short  march  from  Shenini  to  Shakkayak,  you  pass  Mistakhede,  Rogro- 
gd,  Manga  Dirdige  and  Manga  Abakrnak,  these  two  hamlets  forming  part  of  the 
large  place  of  Manga,  inhabited  by  Mimi,  Gelma,  A'bii  Sharib,  and  Kanuri.  The 
other  hamlets  belonging  to  the  place  are  called  Manga  Kordale,  Manga  Merende, 
which  lies  north  of  Shakkayak,  Manga  Muttong,  Manga  A'beyang,  inhabited  by 
Al)u  Sharib,  and  Manga  Mm,  from  whence  it  is  not  far  to  Abkar  Hajilij,  the 
vilage  above  mentioned,  by  way  of  Serir  and  I\Iagallem. 

There  is,  besides,  another  considerable  iron  mine  at  Kajam,  four  hours  W.S.W. 
of  Tokhili,  in  the  district  Jeji,  the  iron  of  which  is  brought  by  the  Al)lebay  to 
A'tarek,  between  Abkar  and  Manga  Merende,  where  this  iron,  as  well  as  the  cop- 
per brought  by  the  Jellaba  from  the  celebrated  hofra  in  the  south  of  Dar-Fiir,  is 
manufactured  by  the  "  haddad  Monnu." 

(i.)  From  Shemni  to  Silld  hy  Way  of  A'ndeM,  according  to  the  Fdki  Thrahim.  Di- 
rection S.S.  W.f  then  south. 

Day. 

1st.  A'ndela,  a  place  inhabited  by  Waday  and  Bandala.  Passing  in  the  morn- 
ing Shokhulke,  a  place  consisting  of  two  hamlets,  and  inhabited  by  the 
Ogodongde,  close  to  Shenini,  Tordona,  likewise  of  the  Ogodongde,  you 
cross  the  "Wadi  Hamra,  and  stop  during  the  heat  in  Sunkutu,  whereupon, 
passing  Sunkutu  Ji'dnak  or  Nyilik,  you  cross  the  Bat-ha,  which,  somewhat 
higher  up,  near  Sunkutu  Malal,  receives  the  Wadi  Hamra,  and  finally 
pass  Agflbe,  a  village  comprising  three  hamlets  inhabited  by  Waday  peo- 
ple, and  close  to  A'ndela,  Agilbe  Angnereda. 


SILLA'.— WA'RA  TO  RU'NGA.  fJ73 

Day. 

2d.  Shakak,  a  village  of  the  Bandala,  in  a  sandy  tract,  with  rocky  hills.  A 
good  march  ;  stop  during  the  heat  at  the  well  of  Kadada,  a  place  not  in- 
habited, but  containing  numerous  trees,  particularly  dum-palms. 

3d.  ChiHmna,  a  village  of  the  Bandala  and  the  A'blebay,  near  to  which,  to- 
ward the  west,  dwell  the  Salamat,  Missin'ye,  and  Jeji.  Here  are  seen  the 
mountains  of  Silla,  the  inhabitants  of  which  supply  the  market  of  Chi- 
Hmna with  honey,  and  fish,  fresh  and  dried.  Stop  during  the  heat  at 
noon  in  the  Wadi  Bokhas,  said  to  run  south  into  the  large  wadi  Diwe, 
which  skirts  the  district  Jeji,  and  by  some  is  considered  identical  with 
the  bahr  Salamat,  which  passes  Mangara,  and  then,  one  day  from  Man- 
gara,  is  called  Gede,  or  Bahr  el  Hemad,  and  farther  down  O'm  e'  Timan, 
or  Bahr  Salamat.  Itrahim  considers  it  as  a  tributary  of  the  river  of 
Runga.  Besides  the  Hemad  and  Salamat,  the  Sharafa  also  pasture  on 
its  banks. 

4th.  Silla,  which  was  not  visited  by  I'brahim  himself,  is  reached  after  crossing 
in  the  morning  the  "Wadi  Diwe,  which  spreads  out  to  a  great  extent  on 
clayey  ground,  and  swarms  with  fish.  The  Silla  are  handsome  people, 
without  incisions.    Yiisuf  Kiiarifam  made  a  ghazzia  to  this  place. 

(^.)  Direct  way  to  Silla. 

1st.  Dumboli,  a  place  of  the  Missin'ye,  close  to  Ras  el  Fi'l  or  Tanjaknak  on  the 
west.  Passing  in  the  morning  Shokhiilke  and  Abjefili,  a  place  of  the 
Ogodongde,  with  the  small  wadi  A'bu  Ghanem  (pronounced  A'bii  Kha- 
nem)  in  the  south,  which  joins  the  "Wadi  EI  Hamra  near  Siinkutu ;  stop 
during  the  heat  at  Sorumo,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Bat-ha,  which  flows 
close,  on  the  east,  to  the  Waday  hamlet  of  Maray. 

2d.  Khalla,  passing  the  large  mountain  of  Kajeske. 

3d.  Silla.  in  the  morning. 

(/.)  /Vow  Wdra  to  Runga,  according  to  Hdj  Sadik.    South,  aftencard  west. 
1st.  A  place  of  the  Kondongo,  ^nth  a  large  mountain  stretching  out  to  a  great 
length. 

2d.  Andisha,  a  place  of  the  Waday. 

3d.  Hawara,  a  place  of  the  Waday  in  a  level  country. 
4th.  Beteha,  a  wadi  occupied  by  Waday  people. 
5th.  A'fi,  a  place  of  the  Waday,  at  the  base  of  a  ridge  of  mountains. 
6th.  Ke'men',  a  place  of  the  Waday,  in  a  plain  with  mountains  in  the  distance  ; 
south. 

7th.  A  place  of  tlie  Chafma,  slaves  of  the  Bandala,  who  prepare  honey. 

8th.  Kodogus,  one  of  the  largest  places  of  Waday,  inhabited  by  Talba  Arahs. 
According  to  I'brahfm,  Kodogus  is  rather  a  place  of  the  A'bii  Sharib, 
Kajagase,  and  Dermudi,  and  is  three  days  and  a  half  from  Shenini. 
Sleep  at  U'rka,  a  place  of  the  Waday  and  Bandala,  on  the  Bat-ha,  then 
at  A'm-biirtunu,  a  village  of  the  Waday  and  Bandala,  the  latter  being  the 
more  numerous,  and  the  third  night  at  a  place  the  name  of  which  he  had 
forgotten.  W.S.W. 

9th.  I'd  el  Gadem. 

10th.  Kajam,  a  village  at  the  western  foot  of  a  mountain. 

Vol.  II.— U  u 


(374  APPENDIX. 
Daj-. 

11th,  Mangara  (according  to  this  informant  erroneously  called  the  chief  place 
of  Kcbet  or  Kajagase).  From  Mangara  to  Silla,  one  day's  journey 
east. 

12th,  Gurara,  encampment  in  the  wilderness, 
13th,  Meterbe, 

Uth.  Donas,  the  name  of  the  ruler  of  the  province  of  Runga,  the  successor  of 
Sebir,  who  pays  tribute  both  to  Fiir  and  Waday. 
According  to  Haj  Sadlk,  the  position  of  Riinga  with  regard  to  Wara  is  like  that 
of  Mandara  and  Kiikawa,  and  its  geographical  relation  to  Tendelti  as  that  of  the 
Pullo  place  of  B«Sgo,  on  the  east  side  of  Mandara,  to  Mas-ena. 

(m.)  From  Shemni  to  Runga.    From  the  account  of  the  Fdki  Thrahim. 

Day. 

1st.  A'ndala. 
2d.  Shakaki. 

3d.  Jeji,  a  district  comprising  about  twenty  hamlets. 
4th,  Kerere,  a  place  of  the  Masmaje. 
5th.  Khalla. 

6th.  Kebet,  an  outlying  province  of  Waday,  not,  as  my  other  informant  thought, 

identical  with  Kajagase,  which  belongs  to  Waday  proper. 
7th.  Khalla. 

8th.  Mangara,  the  capital  of  Daggel,  situated  on  a  rocky  eminence  ("Mangara," 
in  the  Daggel  language,  signifies  a  rock),  and  close  by  a  large  pool  of 
standing  water,  called  by  the  Arabs  "Bahr  e'  Tmi." 
9th.  An  expansive  marsh,  inundated  to  a  large  extent  during  the  rains,  with  a 

clayey  soil. 
10th.  Runga  in  the  morning. 

South  from  Runga,  according  to  the  Faki  Sambo,  lies  Dar  Meng. 

(?j.)  From  Tendelti  to  Runga,  according  to  the  information  of  Haj  Sadik. 

1st.  Korigo,  a  considerable  market-town.  A  long  march  till  'aser.  If  you 
travel  but  slowly,  you  stop  during  the  heat  at  the  pond  called  Rahet 
Birbidi,  sleep  at  A'm-habi'le,  and  reach  Korigo  only  on  the  following 
morning.  The  market  of  Korigo  is  held  only  on  Tuesdays  and  Thurs- 
days. Some  of  the  pilgrims  turn  from  the  territory  of  the  Sungdri  by 
way  of  Jebel  Heres,  straight  upon  Korigo. 

2d.  Jurtoba,  a  place  of  the  Bulala  and  Kuka. 

3d.  Abeshr,  a  village  of  the  Furawy. 

4th.  Wagif,  a  place  occupied  by  Baglrmi  people. 

5th.  A'm-kordas,  another  village  inhabited  by  Bagirmi  people.     The  entire 

tract  consists  of  sandy  soil. 
6th.  Selalo,  a  large  place  inhabited  by  Bornu  people. 

7th.  A'm-mnjiira,  a  considerable  place,  important  on  account  of  its  traffic  with 
the  Kirdi  country,  here  called  Firtit,  and  the  residence  of  the  Governor 
of  Birket,  inhabited  by  Masalit,  Dajo,  Bagi'rmi,  and  Furawy. 

From  Tendelti  to  A'm-majura,  according  to  Haj  Mohammed. 
1st.  Dif,m  Haggerona,  a  place  of  the  Dajd,  beyond  Korigo,  which  you  pass. 
A  long  march. 


FITTRI'  AND  BAT-HA'.  675 

Day. 

2d.  A'm-harras,  a  place  only  recently  built  by  a  man  from  Bii  Harras  in  Kor- 
dofan,  and  inhabited  by  Fiir  and  Bag.'rmi  people. 

3d.  A  m-kardus,  a  place  belonging  to  Shetata,  and  inhabited  by  Fur.  Identi- 
cal with  A'm-kordes. 
4th.  Hillet  el  Makdura  Khalll. 

5th.  A'm-majura,  two  days  and  a  half  from  Tebeldi'ye,  three  days  from  the 
hofra.  and  about  three  days  from  Bahr  el  Erzegat.  A'm-majiira  is  very 
rich  in  deleb-palms,  and  has  an  important  Sunday  market  supplied  with 
butter  by  the  Erzegat.  The  inhabitants  of  the  place  are  said  to  trade 
particularly  in  slaves,  which  they  buy  with  wod'a  and  tobacco. 

8th.  Glja,  a  place  inhabited  by  Fiir  and  Gulla,  governed  (at  that  time)  by  Mo- 
hammed Seteba.    Direction  from  hence  a  little  south  from  west. 

9th.  Majam,  a  place  of  the  Ta'asha  Arabs,  but  inhabited  besides  by  some 
Masali't. 

10th.  Rahet  Khali  in  the  Khalla,  without  an  inhabited  place. 

nth.  Bali. 

12th.  Diim  Aseheba. 

13th.  Diim  'Ardeba. 

14th.  Khalla. 

15th.  Dibe,  a  village  of  the  Runga ;  pagans,  besides  a  few  'Urban  or  Arabs. 
16th.  Tarkamu,  a  district  occupied  by  Burnu  people. 

17th.  The  place  of  residence  of  Donas,  the  Prince  of  Runga,  after  whom  it  is 
generally  called ;  the  original  name  is  not  known  to  me. 

(o.)  List  of  the  more  considerable  places  in  Fittri,  and  the  divisions  q,  the  Buldla, 
according  to  the  Buldli  Thrahim. 
In  the  district  called  Defn  Melada :  Temsa  (identical  with  Dumsa),  Keshega, 
Tiggedi,  where  a  fugitive  son  of  the  last  Sultan  of  Bornu  resides,  Gola,  Diibnnor, 
Gela,  Kabbcrd,  Moyo,  Dogo,  Galo.  In  the  district  El  Goza :  Melme,  Kudu, 
Amuna,  Giigu,  Scge,  A'gene,  Bayalla,  Bogo,  Shege,  Burrigo,  Befarkama,  Denni, 
Gollo,  Y'awu,  Gamsa,  Wagala,  Seta.  Kabail  or  families  of  the  Bulala :  L(  ifewa, 
the  Soltnna  or  ruling  family,  Gijo,  Battawa,  Argumuwa,  Chelmuwa,  Wadewa, 
Kasewa,  Jilluwa,  and  many  others,  at  least  twenty  ;  according  to  tradition,  ninety- 
nine.  The  ancestor  of  the  Bulala  is  Ji'li  (Jil  Shikomemi),  who  came  from  Kanem. 

(j).)  Some  account  of  Fittri  and  Bat-hd,  according  to  'Othrndn,  who  had  been  carried 
off"  as  a  captive  from  Bagirmi  by  Sabdn,  with  additions  by  Hdj  Sadik. 
The  lake  (Fittri  means  nothing  but  valley,  basin  of  water,  and  coincides  in 
sense  with  Tsad)  is  two  days'  journey  in  circumference,  contains  fresh  water,  is 
very  shallow,  has  a  clayey  bottom,  and  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  a  rich  markh 
almost  destitute  of  trees,  while  the  valley  of  the  Bat-ha  is  densely  and  beautifully 
■wooded — at  least  it  was  so  till  lately.  No  wadi  joins  the  lake  except  the  Bat-ha, 
and  none  issues  from  it.  In  the  centre  of  the  shallow  lake  lies  an  island  called 
Modo,  the  pagan,  or  at  least  half  pagan  inhabitants  of  which  belong  to  a  tribe 
generally  called  A'bu  Simmin,  long  since  reduced  to  subjection  by  the  Kuka, 
and  navigate  the  lake  in  small  canoes,  made  from  trunks  hollowed  out,  and 
holding  two  or  three  persons.  Among  the  fish  found  in  the  lake  are  the  angola, 
which  strikes  the  water,  and  the  bolbut ;  but  there  is  no  semmak.    The  principal 


676 


APPENDIX. 


places  lying  about  the  lake  are  (beginning  from  Y'awo)  Debunoro,  Tamsa  or 
Temsa,  Ge'Ia,  Golo,  Dago,  Gamsa,  which  is  about  twelve  miles  from  Y'awo  (but 
these  places  are  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  shores  of  the  lake,  though 
varying,  of  course,  greatly  according  to  the  season).  Five  tribes  pasture  in  the 
Yittvi — the  Benf  INIaleki,  who  possess  numerous  camels,  the  J'aatena,  the  Hamide, 
and  a  part  of  the  Kreda ;  and  it  is  visited  even  by  other  Tebu  tribes  during  the 
summer.  In  the  kharif,  or  rainy  season,  when  the  Arab  tribes  are  removing, 
and  the  whole  country  is  inundated  and  infested  by  swarms  of  musquitoes,  the 
camels  of  the  Fittn  are,  like  those  of  the  sultan,  stall-fed  in  sheds,  or  at  least  are 
sheltered  with  mats. 

The  principal  places  along  the  lower  course  of  the  Bat-ha  are:  Seta,  Di'fde, 
Henewu  Jurundu,  A'm-kharuba,  Durmami,  Sigo,  Mugdara;  Birket  Fatima,  a 
place  of  the  Masmaje  on  the  west  side  of  the  rahet  and  north  of  the  wadi  ;  A'm- 
siddre,  Al  A'fanm,  then  the  district  called  Dar-Zoyud. 

From  Mi'ddogo,  which  is  one  day  from  Y'awo,  to  Birket  Fatima,  is  four  days 
by  way  of  A'b  Zerafa,  a  place  of  the  Kiika,  with  small  rocky  ridges ;  Hejel,  a 
place  of  the  Kuka,  and  finally  Boyo. 

(q.^  From  Fittn  to  M'awS,  N.  W.,  according  to  the  Buldli  Thrahim. 

Day. 

1st.  Fall  or  Fari  (Faghi  ?),  a  hamlet  inhabited  by  Baglrmi  people,  in  a  wadi-like 

hollow  encompassed  by  rocks. 
2d.  Aiini,  a  hamlet  of  Bagirmi  people,  with  some  rocky  ridges. 
3d.  Bukko,  another  hamlet  of  the  Bagi'rmaye. 
4th.  Shegeraye,  a  wadi  where  the  Gur'aan  pasture  their  camels. 
5th.  Bahr  el  ghazal,  an  expansive  and  richly-timbered  wadi. 
6th.  Kedada,  a  place  of  the  Tynjur.    Kedada  is  one  day  from  'Alimari,  where 
the  waters  of  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Tsad  are  said  to  have  been 
formerly  discharged  into  the  Bahr  el  ghazal,  the  communication  with 
which  is  now  interrupted  by  sandy  downs. 
7th.  Mondd,  another  place  of  the  Tynjur,  under  the  chief  Abakr. 
8th.  Yagubberi,  a  hamlet  of  the  Tynjur. 

9th.  M'awo,  the  residence  of  the  khalifa  of  Waday,  and  the  general  head-quarters 
of  Jerma  Mongo.  The  inhabitants  of  M'awo  are  called  Beranema  in  the 
Gur'aan  language. 

(r.)  From  Fittri  to  M'awo,  according  to  a  Wdddwy. 
1st.  Khabmi,  a  Gur'aan  settlement,  with  abundance  of  water. 
2d,  El  Khazalat,  a  wadi,  said  to  be  a  tributary  of  the  Bahr  el  ghazal,  occupied 

by  Daghana. 
3d.  Shegeraye,  a  wadi,  occupied  by  the  Gur'aan. 
ith.  Delebat,  a  wadi. 
5th.  El  Gret,  a  wadi. 
6th.  M'awo. 

My  informant  declares  that  he  left  the  wadi  Fari  on  his  right,  and  never  passed 
the  Bahr  el  ghazal  at  all. 

Another  informant  went  from  M'awo  to  Fittri  by  way  of  Kalkala,  Gujer,  the 
well  of  Tororo  in  the  Bahr  el  ghazal,  the  wadi  Shegeraye  with  abundance  of 
water,  and  the  rocks  of  Hajjijat  in  the  wadi  Fari. 


WA'RA  TO  'ORA^'DHA.— MA'S-ENA'  TO  BUSO'. 


677 


(s.)  Wdra  to  Wadi  'Orddha,  according  to  the  Fdki  Tbrahm  and  'Alt  Maldnga. 
Day. 

1st.  Bobok,  a  place  of  the  Kajigajf,  a  Waday  tribe.  Leaving  Wara  by  the  N.W. 
gate  on  the  road  called  Lingak  Batemelek  from  the  village  of  Bateme, 
which  is  passed  soon  after  starting,  further  on  you  pass  the  village  of 
I'nding,  and  afterward  Korummudi,  a  village  inhabited  by  Fezzani 
people. 

2d.  Tatsere,  a  place  inhabited  by  Waday.    Stop  during  the  heat  at  Takhsha. 
3d.  'Oradha,  a  wadi  or  zaraf,  very  rich  in  pasture-grounds,  where  the  Mahami'd 
pasture  in  the  summer,  while  in  the  khan'f  they  proceed  to  Turru  and 
Siibbu.    East  of  the  Wadi  'Oradha  is  the  Wadi  Subb,  two  days  from  the 
mountainous  countr}'  of  the  Tama.    The  road  from  Fezzan  by  the  Burgu 
country  to  Wara  touches  at  'Oradha. 
'All  made  the  following  detour  in  going  to  the  Wadi  'Oradha,  which  is  much 
resorted  to  by  the  Waday  Faki,  as,  by  their  reading  and  writing,  they  may  easily 
earn  from  the  wealthy  Arabs  of  that  locality  a  cow  or  a  good  number  of  sheep  : 

Day. 

1st.  Bobok. 

2d.  Kurso,  a  considerable  place  of  the  Mimi. 
3d.  Tatsere.    All  this  country  has  a  sandy  soil. 

4th.  Arman,  a  place  of  the  fokara  of  the  Mahami'd,  inhabited  by  their  chiefs 

Mahmiid  'Abd  e'  Salam  Weled  Chocho  and  Hagar  Weled  Belle. 
5th.  Rehedo,  another  place  of  the  Mahami'd. 

6th.  Subb,  a  zaraf  running  west,  whither  the  Mahamid  likewise  resort. 
7th.  'Oradha. 

m.  Routes  ix  the  Ixterior  of  Bagirmi. 
(a.)  Large  and  small  places  on  the  Shdri,from  Biigomdn  npicard. 
Marja,  a  small  place  ;  Miskin,  a  considerable  walled  town  ;  ^Mebi,  a  small  place 
at  the  confluence  of  the  Bachikam  Avith  the  Shari;  Mainpa  or  Mankhfa ;  Anja; 
Mdlan  ;  Gelende  ;  Makeli'l ;  O'ngo  or  O'noko  ;  Bunjul ;  Baleuere,  a  walled  place; 
Mondo,  with  a  rampart ;  Mord  ;  Madelama  ;  Baingane  ;  LaiJiyata ;  Gedo  ;  Musgu; 
Boway ;  Miyan  ;  ^Mogolo ;  Kaba ;  Jilim  ;  Mabbele,  a  town  surrounded  by  a  strong 
wall ;  Laffana,  with  a  rampart  in  ruins ;  Buso,  a  large  place ;  Mongala ;  Ba- 
Ng(')rgolong ;  Bi'ri ;  Koromafe ;  Tabe ;  Majim ;  Bubur ;  Dere ;  Gofna ;  Chiromadi ; 
Miltu. 

(6.)  From  Mds-eud  to  L,dffand  and  Buso. 

Day. 

1st.  Mogal,  beyond  the  ford  of  Bachikam,  on  the  upper  part  of  the  river  of  the 
same  name,  which  at  Tape,  a  village  near  Miltu,  branches  off  from  the 
upper  Shari,  and  rejoins  it  at  Mebi,  a  small  village  near  Miskin. 

2d.  Mangagullafe. 

3d.  Garam,  a  place  inhabited  by  Kanuri. 
4th.  Sleep  in  the  wilderness. 
5th.  Beda-kiirchi,  a  Bagi'rmi  place  under  Buso. 
6th.  Dendam,  a  Bagirmi  place. 
7th.  Laffana. 

Beda-kurchi  is  nearer  to  Mabbele  and  Laffana  than  to  Buso. 


678 


APPENDIX. 


(Bnso,  according  to  Agid  Musa,  is  about  as  far  from  Mas-ena  as  Logon  bi'rni 
or  Moito,  Buso  being  reached  in  three  long  marches,  viz. : 
Day. 

1st.  Gawin  Haji. 
2d.  Beda-kurchi. 
3d.  Buso.) 

(f.)  From  Mas-end  to  Buso,  according  to  Hdj  Sdd'ik. 

Day. 

1st.  Bachikam,  a  village  on  the  southern  side  of  the  small  branch  of  the  Shari, 
which,  from  this  village,  is  generally  called  Bachikam,  at  least  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  capital,  although  from  the  larger  town  of  I'r,  which  is 
situated  on  its  northern  bank,  and  was  formerly  governed  by  a  sultan  of 
its  own,  it  is  also  called  Ba-I'r.  Its  size  varies  extremely,  according  to 
the  season,  from  a  small  rivulet  scarcely  twenty  yards  across,  to  a  large 
sheet  of  water  more  than  a  mile  in  width. 

2d.  Bulturf,  a  large  village  inhabited  by  Kanuri. 

3d.  Beda-kiirchi,  with  a  large  swamp  (beda),  whence  its  name.  You  stop  during 

the  heat  in  Dllfin,  a  Kanuri  place. 
4th.  Dendam,  a  Bagirmi  place. 

5th.  Buso,  a  large  town  inhabited  by  a  mixed  population  of  pagans,  who  are, 
however,  clothed,  and  of  Moslemin.  It  contains  many  of  those  so-called 
m'allems,  that  is  to  say,  people  who  know  how  to  write  a  few  phrases 
from  the  Kuran. 

{d.)  From  Buso  to  Miltu,  S.E. 
1st.  Kiyar,  at  some  distance  from  the  river,  the  inhabitants  drawing  their  supply 

of  water  only  from  wells.    Crossing  the  river  in  the  morning,  you  keep 

close  along  it  a  little  south  from  east. 
2d.  Tape,  a  large  place  on  the  southern  side  of  the  river,  S.S.E.  N.B. — Agid 

Miisa  appears  here  to  have  made  a  mistake  by  transposing  Kiyar  and 

Tape. 

3d.  Miltu,  a  pagan  place  of  considerable  extent,  at  present  governed  by  Ba, 
the  son  of  AH  Fenjar,  who  died  two  years  ago  in  Mas-eiia.  The  inhab- 
itants possess  large  numbers  of  horses,  and  prepare,  from  the  ashes  of  the 
reeds  in  the  river,  a  sort  of  salt,  which,  in  the  form  of  sugar-loaves,  has 
a  sale  extending  over  a  very  large  region.  At  Bolo,  close  to  Miltu  on 
.  the  east,  the  Bachikam  branches  off  from  the  Shari. 

(e.)  Places  along  the  Bdchikdm  upward,  S.S.E. 
Bachikam,  the  fording  place  ;  I'r,  a  large  town  ;  Mogal ;  Mabberat  or  Mabbelat, 
formerly  the  capital  of  an  independent  principality;  Mas-enawu,  the  place  of  the 
bowaga  or  trumpeters  of  the  sultan  ;  Belamedi,  a  Bagirmi  place  ;  Mamsa ;  Chiko- 
riga  ;  Bugolobe  ;  Kuttutu  ;  Diggeli ;  Masere  ;  Gayoko ;  Mirre  or  Mere,  the  seat 
of  a  man  of  influence  called  Damre,  formerly  the  capital  of  an  independent 
principality;  Dol;  Megele  or  Megede ;  Yelal ;  DImkir;  Marine;  Mub  Beti ; 
Ngirbing ;  Sagemata,  the  last  Bagirmi  place,  beyond  which  the  pagan  country 
of  Saruwa  begins. 


MA'S-ENA'  TO  KI'RBE.— MILTU'  TO  GO'GOMI.  679 


(y.)  From  Mas-end  to  Kirbe,  the  capital  of  Sdruwa. 

Day. 
1st.  Bachikara. 

2d.  Nalroma,  a  place  with  a  considerable  market  held  on  a  Friday,  and  situ- 
ated on  a  rivulet,  which  joins  the  Bachikam  at  Tr. 
3d.  Ngattara,  about  10  A.M. 
4th.  Jil,  a  village,  about  10  A.M. 

5th.  Sagemata,  a  Bagirmi  place  on  the  Bachikara.    A  long  march. 
6th.  Negi,  a  village;  about  10  A.M. 

7th.  Mongola,  a  place  on  the  Shan,  already  belonging  to  Saruwa. 
8th.  KIrbe,  the  residence  of  the  chief  of  Saruwa,  of  the  name  of  A'bii,  as  he  is 
called  in  Bagirmi.    One  day  from  each  of  the  three  places  Kirbe,  Tape, 
and  Miltii,  but  a  little  nearer  to  Kiyar. 
The  road  from  Kfrbe  to  Middobo,  another  important  town  in  Saruwa,  passes 
by  Dan  or  Dana.     Other  places  in  Saruwa  are  Togila,  Dangwa,  both  on  the 
Bachikam ;  Dan,  Mfrti,  Jilang,  MIrkin,  Mongola,  Jfmmir,  Jo,  Belay,  Mut,  Bile,  all 
of  which  are  on  the  Sharf.    From  Dana  to  Lairy  is  one  long  march,  about  30 
miles. 

(g.)  From  Miltil  to  Gogomi,  according  to  Agid  Mdsa,  with  additions  by  Ramadhdn. 

Direction,  N.E. 

Day. 

1st.  Attar,  another  place  in  Saruwa,  having  passed  in  the  morning,  close  to 
Miltu,  the  Shan,  which  here  comes  from  the  south,  and  is  called  ba- 
Buso.    A  long  march. 

2d.  Kome,  a  place  inhabited  by  pagans,  in  a  mountainous  district,  surrounded 
by  four  mountains,  two  of  which  are  called  Tabe  and  Boiio.  A  long 
march.    Kome  is  one  day  from  Middobo,  north. 

3d.  Belel  Kole,  a  place  inhabited  by  the  Sokoro,  fortified  by  nature  in  an  ex- 
traordinary way,  encompassed,  as  it  is  said  to  be,  by  several  rocky  ridges, 
which  inclose  each  other  in  a  circular  form,  so  as  to  leave  only  a  single 
approach,  while  the  interior  is  supplied  with  water.  Tlie  prince  resides 
on  a  rocky  eminence  in  the  centre  of  this  peculiar  mountain  basin.  The 
other  inhabitants  dwell  between  the  rocky  ridges.  In  the  vicinity  is  a 
place  inhabited  by  Shiiwa.  Between  Kome  and  Belel  Kole  lies  Jotol,  at 
some  distance  to  the  south. 

4th.  Gogomi,  a  place  situated  in  a  deep  basin  in  the  mountains,  accessible  only 
by  a  narrow  defile,  and  inhabited  by  a  division  of  the  Sokoro,  whose  for- 
merly powerful  chief  was  conquered  and  made  prisoner  by  the  Sultan  of 
Bagi'rmi  during  my  stay  in  the  country.  The  Jellaba  of  Waday  travel  as 
far  as  Gogomi,  where  they  import  European  commodities.  From  Go- 
gomi to  Kenga  it  is  five  or  six  short  days'  journey,  by  way  of  Biidir,  a 
place  situated  a  short  distance  from  Gogomi,  on  a  steep  mou,ntain,  said 
to  be  about  as  high  as  that  of  Tibesti,  with  a  spring  at  its  base  and  on  its 
summit ;  Sim,  a  place  in  the  mountains ;  Baddege,  a  place  on  the  top  of 
a  mountain :  all  these  places  being  inhabited  by  Sokoro,  who  are  armed 
with  bows  and  arrows ;  Gal,  a  place  in  the  mountains,  surrounded  by  a 
moat ;  Tumki,  a  place  situated  on  an  eminence ;  Kenga  Mataya. 


680 


APPENDIX. 


(h.)  From  Mas-end  to  Gogomi, 

Day. 

1st.  Bidden,  a  considerable  place,  renowned  on  account  of  a  family  of  skiukb. 
wbo,  as  I  bave  mentioned  above,  bave  exercised  a  most  remarkable  influ- 
ence in  tbe  extension  of  Islam  in  tbese  regions,  and  important  on  account 
of  its  Friday  market,  wbere,  however,  tbe  usual  money  of  Mas-eiia,  viz., 
fardas  and  kbolgan,  bas  no  currency,  but  only  tbe  finest  gabaga,  twenty 
of  wbicb  are  deemed  equivalent  to  one  kbalag  or  sbirt.    About  dbobor. 

2d.  Mudda,  a  Bagirmi  place. 

3d.  Dekharuwe,  a  large  place  of  the  Arab  tribe  of  the  Dekhakhera  or  Deghag- 
hera. 

4th.  Kiirf,  a  Shiiwa  place  on  a  pond  of  stagnant  water. 
5th.  Maskawu,  a  Shiiwa  place. 

6th.  Gato,  a  Shuwa  place  with  a  pond  in  the  wilderness. 

8th.  Jena,  a  large  walled  town  of  the  Sokoro,  in  a  billy  district.  Tbe  inhabit- 
ants, like  almost  all  of  tbe  Sokoro,  are  said  to  eat  a  kind  of  beetle,  called 
"  dernana"  by  tbe  Bagi'rmi.    Jena  lies  between  Gogomi  and  K6me. 

9th.  Gogomi,  two  days  from  Middobo,  a  little  north  from  east. 

Tbe  road  from  Gogomi  to  A'bu  Telfan  passes  by  Banem,  Balli,  Sim,  K6n- 
dola,  Kengeta,  A'bii  Telfan. 

(i.)  Divisions  of  the  Bmca. 

The  following  divisions  of  this  numerous  tribe  are  subject  to  the  Sultan  of  Ba- 
gi'rmi :  tbe  Buwa  Nyeldang,  the  most  powerful  of  all ;  the  Buwa  Gamkul ;  Gam- 
kiil*  is  from  Middobo,  tbe  frontier  place  of  Saruwa,  twelve  miles  east,  and  two 
days  south  from  Gogomi,  through  a  mountainous  wilderness ;  Buwa  I'r ;  Biiwa 
Wage,  and  Buwa  Shok. 

Tbe  following  are  independent :  tbe  Biiwa  La,  who  are  very  numerous,  and 
are  divided  into  several  families,  occupying  distinct  places ;  the  Biiwa  Kunne ; 
Buwa  Gangli ;  Biiwa  Moke ;  Biiwa  Damla  ;  and  east  and  S.E.  from  Gamkul,  at 
the  distance  of  from  twelve  to  fifteen  miles,  are  the  two  places  Kormale  and 
Sarakelle,  both  situated  on  tbe  top  of  a  hill,  and  the  latter  said  to  be  governed 
by  a  queen  ;  Buwa  Kurman  (?)  ;  Biiwa  Goy,  with  a  high  mountain,  having  water 
on  its  top ;  Biiwa  Dokero  ;  Buwa  Giim ;  Buwa  Ladon ;  Biiwa  Tuniya ;  Biiwa 
Kiirbul;  Biiwa  Kullunga  or  Kelange,  on  a  mountain,  two  days  from  Kome; 
Biiwa  Malbon ;  Biiwa  Buliil,  and,  finally,  tbe  Biiwa  Mubb  and  the  Biiwa  Kuli, 
who  occupy  a  mountainous  district  close  to  the  territories  of  the  Welad  Rasbid. 

Another  tribe,  the  Nyilem,  to  whom,  according  to  Agid  Miisa,  belong  the  Da- 
sar,  while  others  consider  these  to  belong  to  tbe  Biiwa,  dwell  close  to  tbe  N.E. 
bank  of  tbe  river.  Beyond  the  Dasar  you  reach  the  Koliun,  the  Nyii,  and  at  no 
great  distance  tbe  Fura  with  Gambay. 

(J.)  From  Mas-end  to  Kcnga  Matdya.  East. 

Day. 

1st.  Nairoma,  the  market-place  above-mentioned. 
2d.  Mi'Ile,  a  place  with  a  Sunday  market. 

3d.  Kirsuwa,  a  considerable  place  on  a  small  marshy  water-course  or  sel  on  a 

*  Tt  is  most  probable  that  this  is  Wogga's  Kimkul.  Journal  of  the  K.  Geogr.  Soc,  vol.  xv., 
p.  374.    "  Koome,"  p.  375,  is  Belcl  Kome. 


J 


]VIA'S-ENA'  TO  BUSO'.— KO'LLE  TO  MOI'TO'.  681 

Day. 

clayey  soil,  which,  in  the  Khanf,  flows  to  Barkadaua,  Sidigiya,  Bululu, 
and  to  Gammara,  a  considerable  place  under  an  independent  chief.  (Is 
this  water-course  identical  with  the  Msel  of  Debbaba  ?) 
4th,  Hirla,  a  place  of  a  tribe  related  to  the  Bagrimma. 

5th.  Bedanga,  a  considerable  place  in  a  hilly  district  belonging  to  a  section  of 
the  tribe  of  the  Sokoro,  under  a  powerful  chieftain,  converted,  at  least  in 
outward  appearances,  to  Islam.  These  people  wear  clothes,  and  do  not 
disfigure  themselves  by  incisions  on  their  faces ;  the  women,  however, 
have  a  bead  in  the  nose  and  beads  in  the  ears,  as  worn  almost  univer- 
sally in  these  regions.  The  Waday  Jellaba  import  their  commodities 
even  into  these  districts.  The  natives  are  armed  neither  with  bows  nor 
arrows,  but  only  with  spears  and  hand-bills.  According  to  Mohammed 
Bume,  who  has  been  living  here  several  years,  the  waters  of  this  mount- 
ainous region  are  drained  by  the  Nile  through  the  territory  of  theWelad 
Rashid,  a  piece  of  information  which  is,  however,  very  doubtful. 
From  Bedanga  to  A'bii  Telfan  is  three  days'  journey  E.X.E.  by  way  of 
Bammana  and  Miggedi. 

6th.  Kenga  Mataya,  the  chief  place  of  a  tribe  closely  related  to  the  Bagrimma 
nation,  under  a  powerful  chief,  to  whose  extensive  territory  also  Jon, 
Gal,  and  Dambar  belong.  The  principal  produce  of  this  region  is  sesa- 
mum.  My  new  informant,  the  aforesaid  Moh.  Bume,  confirmed  fully  the 
statements  communicated  to  me  previously  by  Agid  Biirku  with  regard 
to  the  strange  religious  observances  of  these  pagans.  According  to  the 
same,  the  waters  of  the  district  round  Gogomi  are  discharged  by  way  of 
Lim,  Gal,  Banam,  and  Kenga,  into  the  "gezan,"  the  sandy  wilderness 
south  of  Fittn.  Kenga,  according  to  the  same,  is  four  days  from  Y'awo, 
by  way  of  Ngar-sara,  the  residence  of  a  powerful  chieftain,  distant  about 
two  days  from  both  places  and  also  from  Middogo.  According  to  the 
Bulali  Ibrahim,  Kenga  is  reached  in  three  long  day's  marches  from 
Y'awo,  by  way  of  Gariya,  Morbo,  and  Byllnm.  From  Bedanga  to  Kenga 
is  a  long  and  unsafe  journey,  made  during  the  night,  in  about  sixteen 
hours,  from  evening  to  the  heat  of  the  day. 

(k.)  From  Mas-end  by  way  of  La'iry  to  Buso. 
1st.  Gogo.    Stop  during  the  heat  in  Mala. 
2d.  Kgug; 
3d.  Duwmg; 

4th.  Miiro.    All  short  marches. 

oth.  Lairy,  a  large,  Bagfrmi  place,  E.  (S.E.)  from  Kirsuwa,  on  the  same  water- 
course, and  one  good  day's  journey  from  Togila,  and  from  thence  to  Attar 
in  two  days,  having  slept  on  the  Bachikam. 

6th.  Gapkong.    A  short  march. 

7th.  Buso,  having  crossed  the  Bachikam  about  half  way. 

(/.)  From  Mas-end  by  way  of  Kblle  to  La'iry^  and  from  Kolle  to  Moito. 
1st.  Seta,  passing  Bidderi,  Mandelu,  Dabinen,  and  Gadawu. 
2d.  A'mjeri,  passing  Mabbela,  Derreja,  Melede,  Bindebiyo,  and  Tawyin. 
3d.  Kolle,  a  considerable  Bagirmi  place,  one  day  from  Kirsuwa,  toward  which 


682  APPENDIX. 

Day. 

place  a  sel  or  shallow  and  marshy  water  takes  its  course  hence  by  way  of 
Doldegi  and  For. 
4th.  Lai'ry.    A  long  march. 

From  Kolle  to  Moito  by  way  of  Debdha. 
1st.  Ki'rsuwa  JibHgi,  with  an  independent  chief,  situated  on  a  water-course. 
2d.  Hi'rla,  a  place  situated  on  a  hill. 
3d.  Jokko,  a  place  of  the  Kiika. 

4th.  Debaba,  a  large  place,  consisting  of  various  hamlets  of  the  Shuwa,  with 
rich  pasture-grounds,  and  several  water-courses.  Debaba  is  two  days 
from  Balawu,  having  slept  in  Kosi,  a  Kanuri  place,  and  crossed  another 
"sel"  between  Kosi  and  Balawu. 

6th.  Moi'to.    A  good  day's  march. 

(w.)  From  Ldffand  to  Bang-Bay.    Expeditious  march,  such  as  is  usual  on  a  ghazzia. 
Direction,  south  as  far  as  Lay. 

1st.  A'llowa,  a  pagan  place,  subject  to  Bagfrmi ;  crossing  in  the  morning  the 

Sharj,  or  rather,  as  it  is  called  here,  the  Ba-Buso. 
2d.  Gurgara,  a  large  place  belonging  to  a  considerable  tribe,  whence  all  the 
iron  consumed  in  Baglrmi  is  exported.    It  is  obtained  from  siderites, 
and  is  not  near  so  good  as  the  iron  of  Wandala  or  Bubanjidda. 

3d.  Chaken,  a  large  place,  with  an  independent  chief;  about  noon. 

4th.  Jogda,  a  large  plaee,  consisting  in  part  of  clay  huts,  belonging  to  the  exten- 
sive principality  of  Gabberi. 

5th.  Loji,  a  place  under  the  independent  chieftain  Kiki,  the  son  of  Belat. 

6th.  Gun,  a  place  on  the  Ba-Gun,  as  the  River  of  Logon  is  here  called.  Almost 
every  place  has  its  separate  ertana  (jargon).  The  country  yields  sorghum, 
beans,  "kolche"  or  ground-nuts,  and  melons. 

7th.  Lay,  on  the  same  bank  of  the  river,  the  residence  of  Sugulum,  son  of  Noba. 
The  river  abounds  with  fish,  and  is  navigated  by  numerous  boats.  South 
of  Lay,  according  to  this  informant,  an  arm,  coming  from  the  Fiilbe  terri- 
tory (from  Bubanjidda,  it  seems),  appears  to  join  the  river.  This  informant 
considers  the  River  of  Logon  and  the  River  of  Day,  Miltii,  Rus6,  and  A'su, 
to  be  only  arms  of  the  same  river,  which  is  bifurcated,  as  he  says,  above 
Day.  It  may  be  so ;  but  I  doubt  whether  this  account  be  true,  the  rate 
of  the  current  in  these  two  rivers  being  very  different.  The  direction 
now  becomes  almost  south. 

8th.  Myl,  having  crossed  the  river  at  Lay,  and  then  taken  a  course  a  little  south 
from  west. 

9th.  Koyo,  a  place  with  an  independent  chieftain,  on  a  dry  clay  soil. 
10th.  K^yagdr,  at  a  short  distance,  with  an  independent  chieftain.    About  six 
hours  from  Ki'yagor,  a  little  north  from  east,  lies  Bari,  in  a  mountainous 
region. 

11th.  Nong,  another  place  belonging  to  Bagirmi. 

12th.  Dogo,  the  farthest  place  in  Bagi'rmi  which  was  reached  by  the  ghazzia. 
The  country  produces  abundance  of  honey,  contains  large  numbers  of 
goats  and  sheep,  but  no  cattle.  Dukhn  (Pennisetum  Typhoidew)i)  consti- 
tutes the  principal  food.  Among  the  trees,  the  tabur,  or  butter-tree,  and 


MA'BBELE'  TO  LAY  AND  KIM.— CHA'KEN  TO  KIM.  683 

Day. 

the  deleb-palm  are  the  most  remarkable  and  predominant.  The  soil  is 
dark  red  (being  loam).  From  Dogo  to  Bubanjidda,  according  to  my  in- 
formant, two  days. 

(n.)  From  Mdbbelc  to  Lay  and  Kim,  according  to  Agld  Musa. 
1st.  Giirgara ;  a  long  march  till  'aser. 

2d.  Chaken,  a  considerable  place,  with  an  independent  chief ;  important  as  the 
-  point  of  junction  of  several  roads  leading  south  to  Lay,  S.W.  to  Kim,  and 
W.S.W.  to  Dam. 
3d.  Jogdo,  an  important  place ;  short  march. 
4th.  Cholol,  a  place  four  hours  east  from  Gun. 
5th.  Nyinga,  a  short  journey. 

6th.  Lay,  a  large  place  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  River  of  Logon.  If  yea  go 
from  Lay  W.S.W.,  after  having  crossed  the  river  you  reach,  after  ten  or 
twelve  miles,  Mung-chire,  and  thence  Chuwa,  with  three  independent 
chiefs,  Malo,  Dukko,  and  Ba.'boto. 

From  Chaken  to  Kim. 
1st.  Gunoguno  ;  about  twenty  miles. 

2d.  Kim,  a  large  place  on  the  River  of  Logon.    Kim  is  three  days'  journey 
from  De'mmo,  in  Wuliya,  our  farthest  point  on  the  Musgii  expedition. 
This,  therefore,  is  a  very  important  piece  of  information  for  joining 
these  routes  : 
Day. 

1st.  Jiman,  on  the  river ;  about  ten  miles. 
2d.  Kar,  twenty  miles. 
3d.  Demmo,  in  Wuliya. 
Kim  from  Lay  is  two  good  days'  journey  S.S.E.,  stopping  for  the  night  at 
Bisme,  on  the  river.    This  track  has  a  dry  clayey  soil,  almost  without  trees,  so 
that  you  may  see  from  Kim  the  trees  of  E're,  a  place  in  the  N.W.,  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  river,  and  probably  called  from  its  situation  on  a  ford,  "  ere"  mean- 
ing river  in  the  Musgu  language.    Marraba,  a  large  place  of  the  Mogom,  is  ten 
or  twelve  miles  from  Kim,  beyond  and  at  some  distance  from  the  river. 

_  From  Lay  to  Sdlin.    Direction^  a  little  north  from  east. 

Day. 

1st.  Chire,  a  large  place,  residence  of  the  chief  Kassarak,  who  is  not  the  only 
chieftain  in  this  region,  but  there  are  two  petty  chiefs  besides  him.  This 
place  has  a  separate  ertana.  It  is  distinguished  by  an  extensive  planta- 
tion of  fruit-bearing  date-trees,  which  is  well  irrigated  and  kept  in  order 
— a  very  remarkable  circumstance,  so  that  I  have  taken  pains  to  ascer- 
tain that  the  informant  has  not  confounded  the  date-palm  with  the  de- 
leb-palm. There  are  no  asses  in  Chire,  nor  any  cats ;  and  the  horses 
are  imported  from  Bagi'rmi.    A  long  march  of  twenty-five  miles. 

2d.  Masro,  about  thirty  miles. 

3d.  Salin,  the  residence  of  the  chief,  and  the  principal  market-place  of  Dam. 
From  Salin  to  Dammuk,  the  capital  of  Somray,  one  day  S.E. 


684 


APPENDIX. 


From  Mds-end  to  Sdlin. 

Day. 
1st.  Mogal. 

2d.  Jeljelli,  a  Kanuri  place. 
3d.  Biina-kurclii. 
4th.  Buso. 

5  th.  Tunjurku,  a  Kerdi  place. 
6th.  Giirgara. 
7th.  Lmimi. 

8th.  Salin,  the  capital  of  Dam  or  Ndam,  which  latter  may  be  the  right  form, 
(o.)  Mds-ehd  to  Bdng-Bay. 

1st.  Kaga. 
2d.  Garam. 
3d.  Mabbele. 

4th.  Gurgara,  or,  rather,  one  of  the  three  villages  which  constitute  the  district 
of  that  name ;  the  southern  village  lying  in  the  direction  of  Chaken,  and 
the  western  one  in  that  of  Chejiraki. 

5th.  Matele. 

6th.  Kim,  a  large  place,  where  a  kashella  (inspector  of  the  river)  of  the  Sultan 
of  Bagi'rmi  resides. 

7th.  Marraba,  about  'aser  (there  having  been  probably  a  difficulty  in  crossing 

the  river). 
8th.  Domana.    A  whole  day. 
9th.  Bisay  ;  about  noon. 
10th.  Bay  Kurl. 

11th.  Bay  Toy,  one  of  the  four  large  principalities  of  the  Bay. 
12th.  Koman. 
13th.  Kaktiya. 

14th.  Mudumbi'm,  one  of  the  four  largest  principalities  or  places  of  Bang-Bay. 
15th.  Keni,  another  of  the  four  principalities. 
16th.  Debjogeme. 
17th.  Gombay. 

18th.  Tapolo,  the  principality  of  the  most  powerful  chief  in  Bang-Bay. 
19th.  Masenta. 

.{p.)  From  Buso  to  Bang-Day.    Expeditious  march,  a  ghazzia. 
1st.  Tabe,  a  large  place  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  which  you  cross  in  the 
morning. 

2d.  Kiyar,  a  smaller  place,  at  some  distance  from  the  river. 

3d.  Miltii,  a  large  straggling  place  close  to  the  S.W.  bank  of  the  river. 
4th.  Baki,  at  some  distance  from  the  river. 
5th.  Sheggi. 
6th.  Myl,  a  large  place. 

7th.  Sara-Gule,  with  the  chief  Koma,  son  of  the  renowned  Godesga,  after  whom 
the  country  and  the  place  is  usually  named.  The  inhabitants  take  their 
supply  of  water  from  wells  only. 

8th.  Digti,  with  an  independent  chief. 


MILTU'  TO  DAY.— FONG  TO  BUSO'.  685 

Day. 

9th.  Gar-Kumra,  or  Sara-Ngar-Kumra,  another  principality  with  a  powerful 
chief. 

10th.  Bang-Day,  another  principality  on  a  considerable  river,  called  by  my  in- 
formant— the  same  from  whom  I  wrote  down  the  itinerary  marked  (/«) 
— the  river  of  the  Fellan,  or  Fiilbe.  Day  and  Fong  are  the  most  import- 
ant principalities  in  Sara. 

(q.)  From  Miltu  to  Day,  and  from  Lay  to  Day,  according  to  Agid  Musa.  South. 
1st.  Myl,  a  large  place.    A  long  march,  till  sunset;  about  thirty-five  miles. 
2d.  Sara-Gosdega ;  dhohor  (two  o'clock  P.M.);  twenty-five  miles.    A  little 

east  from  south. 
3d.  Kumra.    Till  'aser ;  thirty  miles.  South. 

4th.  Day,  a  large  place  in  a  densely-populated  country  on  the  Upper  Shari, 
which  here  flows  from  south  to  north,  and  at  Miltii  bends  to  N.W.  Dho- 
hor;  twenty-five  miles.  S.S.E. 

Lay  to  Day.  S.S.E. 

1st.  Bay  Fir,  an  independent  principality  on  the  River  of  Logon. 

2d.  Bay  Kaga,  another  principality  belonging  to  Bay,  distant  from  the  river, 
surrounded  by  woods,  close  to  Masro. 

3d.  Day,  after  having  crossed  the  River  Shan.  According  to  the  express  state- 
ment of  another  informant,  Day  lies  on  the  western  bank  of  the  river,  in 
the  same  way  as  Karnak  Logone  does. 

(r.)  Mdhhele  to  Fong,  and  from  Fong  to  Buso,  according  to  Hdj  Sadik. 
1st.  Giirgara,  a  pagan  place  beyond  the  river.    A  long  march. 
2d.  Sotto,  a  pagan  place. 

3d.  Gam,  another  place.  The  country  produces  sorghum,  beans,  millet,  and  has 
numerous  deleb-palms,  also  "  bawa,"  a  sort  of  sweet  melon  {C.melopepo). 
4th.  Jogto,  a  large  place  belonging  to  Somray,  one  day  from  Kim. 
.5th.  Cholol,  territory  of  the  chief  Kiki. 
6th.  Pam,  a  large  place  possessing  both  sheep  and  cattle. 
7th.  Middigi. 

8th.  Ledanga;  the  whole  country  level. 

9th,  Chire,  a  place  with  abundance  of  palms — date-palms,  as  it  seems 
10th.  Broto. 

nth.  Murki,  a  considerable  place,  with  large  trees  called  "  rum." 
12th.  Dam  Pasar. 

13th.  Fong  or  Dam  Fong,  a  considerable  territory,  called  after  its  chief  or  "ke- 
niis"  Fong.  Fong  is  about  thirty  miles  S.W.  from  Gosdega  as  well  as 
from  Chire.    Lay  a  day  and  a  half's  march,  crossing  the  river. 

Froin  Fong  back  to  Buso. 
1st.  Tummak,  on  a  small  water-course. 
2d.  Myl,  a  large  place.    Fahk,  close  to  Myl,  eastward. 
3d.  Sek. 

4th.  U'r.  The  places  and  territories  last  enumerated  are  disconnected,  and 
have  distinct  "ertana,"  or  at  least  dialects. 


QgQ  '  APPENDIX. 

Day. 

5th.  Godak. 

6th.  Betang  Godak.    Gadang,  a  large  place  one  day  east  from  here,  may  be 

reached  in  one  good  day's  march  from  Bus6. 
7th.  Gonda. 
8th.  Buso. 

(s.)  Places  from  Bdchikdm  downward,  along  the  river,  and  from  Mds-ehd  to  Musgu. 

Sigir,  Majir,  Bakiil,  Manga,  Tar  ngolo,  Bukabe,  Matiya  (formerly  a  consider- 
able place,  and  capital  of  an  independent  territory),  with  a  large  market  on 
Saturdays,  Marja.  From  here,  if  you  keep  on  this  side  of  the  river,  you  come 
to  Bala  Masa,  or,  if  you  cross  it,  to  Miskin,  both  on  the  great  river  Shan,  which 
is  again  joined  by  the  Bachikam  at  Mebi. 

Kokoroche,  the  place  which,  next  to  Bugoman,  sends  the  largest  supplies  of 
corn  to  the  capital,  lies  one  hour  north  from  the  Bachikam ;  and  the  road  from 
here  to  Bala  Masa  goes  by  way  of  Bekeri  and  Hela. 

Mas-end  to  Musgu. 

Day. 

1st.  Bekabe  or  Bukabe,  a  considerable  place,  with  a  clay  wall  of  earth,  on  the 

Bachikam. 
2d.  Matiya. 

3d.  Mankhfa,  a  considerable  place  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Shan,  after  crossing 

the  Bachikam  in  the  morning, 
dth.  Musgu,  a  Kerdi  town  on  the  River  of  Logon,  after  crossing  the  Shari  in  the 
morning.    A  long  march.    If  you  proceed  more  slowly,  and  keep  along 
the  river,  you  sleep  the  first  night  in  O'noko,  the  second  in  Baingane,  and 
reach  Musgu  on  the  third  morning. 
From  Musgu  to  Gunna,  a  large  Kerdi  place  of  the  Masa,  is  not  above  one  day's 
journey. 

(^)  Mds-eiid  to  Bang-Bay,  according  to  Agid  Biirku.    In  a  winding  direction. 

[Published  previously  in  the  '-Journal  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society,"  1852,  but  here 

rectified.] 

Day. 

1st.  I'r,  on  the  (river)  Ba-ir,  which  is  said  to  flow  to  the  east  [west].    In  the 
morning. 

2d.  Bachikam,  a  Bagirmi  place  on  the  south  side  of  the  same  river,  or  rather 

arm  of  the  Shan,  at  a  short  distance. 
3d.  Garam.    Arrived  when  the  heat  commenced,  but  started  again  at  dhohor, 

and  slept  in  the  karaga. 
4th.  Laffana,  on  a  large  river,  the  Shan',  flowing  east  [N.W.]. 
5th.  On  the  sandy  bank  of  the  river,  which  he  crossed  in  a  large  boat. 
6th.  Buso,  a  [)lace  under  a  powerful  chief,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  which 

had  been  crossed  again  by  informant. 
7th.  Mirti,  an  island  in  the  Shan',  possessing  a  large  number  of  boats.  The 

water,  however,  is  dangerous  on  account  of  the  numerous  crocodiles 

which  infest  it. 

8th.  Halanga,  a  place  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Shari,  under  the  same  chief  as 
Buso. 

9th.  Tabe,  a  large  place  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  with  a  mixed  population. 


ma'S-eNa  to  bang-bay.  687 

Day. 

10th.  Gadang,  a  Kerdi  place,  distant  from  the  river.    At  dhonor. 
11th.  Kiyar,  a  village  consisting  of  several  small  hamlets,  at  some  distance  from 
the  river. 

12th.  [Miltii],  a  large  place,  with  numerous  horses,  belonging  at  that  time  (1850) 
to  the  powerful  chief  Ah  Fenjar,  who  shortly  afterward  died  in  the  capital 
of  Bagirmi  as  a  holy  man. 

13th.  A  place  of  the  Bang-Dam  (the  chief  of  the  Dam),  who  is  the  only  person 
in  the  place  who  wears  clothes.  The  country  contains  numerous  small 
hamlets,  and  is  richly  wooded ;  the  soil  sandy.  The  inhabitants  eat 
horse-flesh. 

14th.  I'semray  (Somray),  an  extensive  district  under  Sultan  (Bang)  Wonja,  with 
a  clayey  soil.    Early  in  the  morning. 

loth.  Another  place  in  I'semray,  under  the  independent  chieftain  Biirso.  In 
the  whole  country,  water  is  obtained  only  from  wells  two  or  three  fathoms 
deep.  The  food  of  the  people  is  chiefly  (red)  sorghum.  The  soil  is  clayey. 
The  fields  are  shaded  by  some  large  trees. 

16th.  Fachang  Gongawe,  the  territory  of  a  powerful  chief,  which  is  densely  in- 
habited, and  intersected  by  numerous  shallow  water-courses  ("sel"  or 
"ngaljam"),  which,  however,  only  contain  water  during  the  rains,  when 
the  country  becomes  impassable. 

17th.  Gabberl,  or  rather  a  place  (Jogto  ?)  of  the  tenitorj'  of  Gabben,  this  name 
being  that  of  the  whole  country;  a  large  place,  reached  in  the  evening, 
after  a  halt  at  noon.  The  only  weapon  of  the  inhabitants  is  the  hand- 
bill, called  in  their  language  "ji'gaji."  They  breed  numerous  horses  and 
cattle,  but  are  said,  nevertheless,  like  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  country 
of  Bang-Wonja,  to  eat  only  dogs'  flesh.  They  kill  dogs,  sheep,  and  fowls 
around  a  large  sycamore  ("jumez"),  in  honor  of  their  deity,  accompany- 
ing their  sacrifices  with  loud  music  on  cow-hides.  They  pillage  and  wage 
war  upon  each  other. 

18th.  Korifiina,  a  large  place  of  the  Sultan  Koina  (the  son  of  Gosdega),  with  a 
rampart  flanked  with  a  palisade,  and  surrounded  on  the  outside  by  trees 
and  a  ditch.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  capital  are  situated  several  small 
hamlets.  The  inhabitants  wear  only  a  leather  apron,  and  do  not  practice 
circumcision.    They  raise  abundance  of  beans. 

I9th.  A  large  open  place  (name  not  known),  in  the  territory  of  Sara,  under  the 
chief  Gosdega,  the  inhabitants  of  which  cultivate  plenty  of  millet,  sorghum, 
and  beans,  and  plant  a  tree  with  a  date-like  fruit,  with  a  large  crown,  but- 
small  leaves,  the  marrow  of  which,  as  white  as  fat,  constitutes  their  butter 
and  oil.    This  same  tree  I  afterward  found  along  the  Niger. 

20th.  Sara-ngar-Kiimra,  another  place  ^vTongly  stated  to  belong  to  Sultan  Gosdega, 
with  a  stagnant  water. 

21st.  Sard-be-Day,  a  place  under  the  chief  Sariya,  who  possesses  numerous  horses 

(on  the  Upper  Shari).   An  entire  day's  march,  including  halts. 
22d.  Yaldang  (or  Nyeldang),  a  place  inhabited  by  a  tribe  of  the  same  name, 
belonging  to  the  powerful  nation  of  the  Buwa,  who  in  time  of  war  retire 
to  a  high  mountain  in  the  southern  part  of  their  country. 
23d.  Gamkiil,  a  place  of  another  tribe  of  the  Buwa,  in  a  sandy  tract  with  rocky 
ridges,  rich  in  trees,  and  intersected  by  small  water-courses.  Giraffes, 


688  APPENDIX. 

Day. 

lions,  elephants,  .and  hogs  arc  numerous  in  this  tract,  and  the  latter 

constitute  the  principal  food  of  the  inhabitants. 
24th.  Dan  Madobo  (or  Mi'ddobo),  under  Sultan  Gare,  beyond  a  mountain  chain, 

^vhich  you  cross.    The  country  yields  cotton,  millet,  and  sorghum. 
25th.  Dan  Bebe,  a  place  of  the  chief  (gar)  Goda.    The  country,  which  during 

the  rains  is  intersected  by  various  streams,  yields  cotton  and  sorghum. 
26th.  Kome,  in  a  mountainous  district.    The  people  dwell  at  the  foot  of  the 

mountains,  which  they  only  ascend  in  order  to  harvest  their  crops,  which 

grow  on  the  mountains.    They  obtain  water  from  wells  only.    A  short 

day's  journey. 

27th.  Komare,  in  a  mountainous  district,  where  cotton  is  produced.  The  inhab- 
itants wear  only  a  belt,  and  worship  a  rock  as  their  god ;  but  it  is  said 
that  there  exist  some  Mohammedans  among  them. 

28th.  Andi,  a  place  of  the  tribe  of  the  Sojiga,  who  are  said  to  clothe  their  horses 
as  well  as  themselves.  Andi  from  Gogomi  is  two  days,  via  Jili.  Andi 
from  Gamkul,  north  about  30  miles.  A  mountainous  tract.  An  entire 
day's  journey. 

29th.  Burda,  a  large  place  of  the  (Gar)  Manga,  with  a  deep  lake  abounding  with 
fish.  (Identical  with  the  Lake  of  Bisa,  which  is  passed  betv/een  Gogomi 
and  Andi  ?) 

30th.  Tamki,  probably  a  place  of  the  Sokoro,  who  are  armed  with  spears  and 
bows,  the  men  wearing  clothes.  They  are  said  to  eat  lizards,  which  they 
boil ;  they  have,  however,  likewise  sorghum.  Their  country  is  mount- 
ainous. 

31st.  Gobera,  a  Kerdi  place  in  a  mountainous  and  richly  wooded  tract. 
32d.  Bang-Bay,  a  large  town  on  the  south  bank  of  a  considerable  river,  abound- 
ing with  fish,  and  flowing  eastward,  under  the  chief  Sara  Gula. 

All  this  is  quite  correct ;  but  this  Bang-Bay  is  altogether  different  from  the 
territory  called  Bay,  on  the  River  of  Logon.  According  to  Ramadhan,  the  River 
of  Bang-Bay  is  identical  with  the  Bahr  Rashid,  which,  as  he  states,  flows  from 
here  to  Tamki,  Andi,  Nyeldang,  and  Gamkul,  and  falls  into  the  Shan  at  Ni'lem. 

The  inhabitants,  who  are  in  a  very  rude  state  of  civilization,  have  only  slings ; 
and  no  cotton  is  cultivated.  Bang-Bay  is  four  days  from  A'bu  Telfan,  and  two 
days  and  a  half  from  Middogo. 

(u.)  Mas-end  to  ^.unga  and  Silld,  according  to  Agid  Biirku.    Route  not  in  a 

^^^^     -  straight  course,  hut  veering  westerly. 

1st.  Gmim,  a  considerable  place,  with  a  rampart,  and  a  large  clay-built  mosque. 

A  well-wooded  tract. 
2d.  A'm-jerri,  a  middling- si>:«jd  place,  surrounded  by  a  stockade,  inhabited  by 
elephant  and  lion  hunters.    You  pass  some  wood. 

3d.  Kirsuwa  (Jibilki  ?),  on  a  river  which  flows  N.N. W.,  abounding  with  fish, 
and  navigated  during  the  rains  by  the  people  in  bukhsa,  those  large  cal- 
abashes described  on  a  former  occasion.    A  woody  tract. 

4:th.  Kirsuwa  Hirla,  a  place  under  a  powerful  chief,  to  the  south  of  which  is  a 
considerable  well-wooded  mountain.  Of  the  inhabitants,  one  half  arc 
pagans  and  the  other  half  Moslemin.    A  long  march. 

v)th.  Bedanga,  a  place  surrounded  by  a  palisade,  to  the  west  of  which  is  a 


MA'S-ENA'  TO  KE'NGA  -MATA-yA.  639 

T)ay. 

mountain,  only  inhabited  by  pagans,  with  abundance  of  fig-trees,  which 
are  considered  holy.  The  soil  to  the  north  consists  of  sand,  and  in  the 
southern  part  of  clay.  The  wells  are  about  five  fathoms  deep.  The  gar 
(chief)  of  Bedanga  is  dependent  upon  Bagi'rmi. 

6th.  Bammena,  a  pagan  place  in  a  mountainous  tract,  where  water  is  only  ob- 
tained from  wells.    The  huts  are  of  reeds.    Not  distant. 

7th.  O'le  Mantanja,  a  large  pagan  place.  The  upper  parts  of  the  huts  consist 
of  reeds,  the  lower  parts  of  clay.  Halt  at  noon  near  a  large  mountain  in 
the  wilderness. 

8th.  Somo,  a  place  situated  partly  on  the  top  and  partly  at  the  foot  of  a  mount- 
ain possessing  springs.  The  inhabitants  are  pagans  ;  they  breed  horses, 
cows,  and  sheep,  eat  pork,  and  cultivate  much  cotton.  Tetel  (Antilope 
oryx)  abounds  here  ;  also  an  animal  called  waktoto,  resembling  a  cat,  but 
without  a  tail  (the  summoli?). 
9th.  Gella,  a  place  under  an  independent  chief,  on  a  rivulet  flowing  south,  called 
Miiggeru,  abounding  with  fish,  and  navigated  during  the  rains  in  bukhsa. 

10th.  Gar-Sara  or  Xgar-Sara,  a  large  pagan  place,  under  a  powerful  chieftain  of 
the  name  of  Maket,  on  a  stagnant  water  (sel),  which,  during  the  rains, 
becomes  a  running  river,  and  is  navigated  with  bukhsa,  or  crossed  by 
means  of  a  rope  dra^^■n  from  either  side.  On  the  way  you  halt  at  a 
group  of  four  wells  at  the  base  of  a  mountain. 

1  itli.  Dambar,  a  large  pagan  place,  consisting  merely  of  reed  huts,  under  the 
chieftain  Gar-Dogo,  and  the  native  place  of  my  informant. 

'2th.  Panam,  a  large  place,  close  to  which  is  a  high  mountain,  called  "tor 
Shimme."  The  country  produces  millet,  sesamum,  sorghum,  and  much 
cotton.  The  field-labor  is  not  done  by  the  women,  as  is  general  in  Ne- 
groland,  but  by  the  men,  the  women  having  the  upper  hand. 

J  3tli.  Gorgor,  a  place  nominally  under  Bagirmi,  on  a  rivulet  in  a  mountainous, 
rocky  tract,  the  rock  being  partly  of  red,  partly  of  blue  color.  The 
mountains  are  steep.  The  inhabitants  are  armed  with  spear  and  sword 
(the  latter  verv'  remarkable),  rarely  with  bows. 

1 4rth.  Lete,  in  a  mountainous  tract,  short  distance. 

15th.  Bubu,  a  middle-sized  place. 

I6th.  Chelemi,  a  large  place. 

1 7th.  Kenga  Mataya,  a  large  place,  under  a  powerful  chief,  on  the  western  side 
of  a  water-course  running  from  north  to  south.  Near  Kenga  a  mountain 
rises  as  steep  as  a  wall,  presenting  colors  as  richly  checkered  as  those  of 
a  carpet,  and  densely  inhabited  by  birds,  whence  it  is  called  "  the  birds' 
rock."  At  the  foot  of  this  mountain  the  inhabitants  celebrate,  during 
summer,  a  gi-eat  festival  in  a  large  hut,  their  temple,  at  the  top  of  which 
an  urn  is  suspended,  which  is  said  to  be  raised  by  supernatural  powers 
on  the  approach  of  an  enemy,  and  to  descend  again  on  his  retreat.  The 
people  slaughter  here  fowls  and  sheep,  and  bring  sorghum  and  beans, 
which  they  sow,  the  crop  being  said  to  start  forth  immediately,  so  that 
they  reap,  boil,  and  eat  it  the  same  day.  Then  they  place  a  woman,  in 
splendid  attire,  on  a  karru  or  wooden  mortar,  on  each  side  of  the  hut, 
who  are  said  to  be  transformed  into  horses,  and  to  beat  the  karru,  which 
itself  rises  up  in  the  shape  of  a  horse. 

Vol.  it.— X  x 


690  APPENDIX. 
Day. 

These  fabulous  statements,  on  whatever  imposture  they  may  rest,  were  re- 
peated to  me  by  several  most  credible  informants,  quite  independently 
the  one  of  the  other.  The  vessel  or  urn  suspended  at  the  top  of  the  hut 
is  said  to  represent  their  deity.  According  to  the  experienced  Ramad- 
han  Degeji,  the  following  places  lie  at  short  distances  from  each  other, 
in  the  mountainous  tract  between  Kenga  and  Belel-Kole  :  Ger  (Gere,  see 
lower  down),  a  large  and  populous  district,  rather  mountainous ;  Sara, 
under  Sultan  Mokhe  ;  Bedanga,  Bdmmena,  Bajawu,  and  Mere  (another 
village  situated  on  the  top  of  a  mount,  and  on  the  water-course  running 
to  Andi,  Jena,  Kedil,  Kotkol,  Belel  Kole). 

18th.  Sar,  a  large  place  on  and  at  the  base  of  a  high  hill,  on  which  stands  the 
chief's  dwelling,  surrounded  with  a  rampart.  The  sultan  feasts,  at  'Aid 
el  kebir,  the  chiefs  subjected  to  his  dominion,  on  receiving  their  tribute, 
by  slaughtering  a  great  number  of  cattle. 

19th.  Doy,  a  large  place  under  an  independent  chieftain;  not  distant. 

20th.  Dangal,  a  place  on  the  top  of  a  mountain,  in  a  mountainous  tract. 

21st.  Banal,  a  large  place  with  a  great  body  of  horsemen,  situated  at  the  foot 
of  a  steep  mountain.  This  mountain  range  is  said  to  extend  a  month's 
journey,  and  to  contain  numerous  villages.  In  its  valleys,  water-courses 
are  formed  during  the  rains,  and  it  contains  numerous  small  lakes,  abound- 
ing with  fish.  The  inhabitants  wear  clothes,  and  possess  numerous  herds. 
It  is  said  that  the  cold  on  these  mountains  is  sometimes  A-ery  severe,  and 
that  snow  and  hail  fall  occasionally.  The  whole  country  is  under  the 
supremacy  of  Kenga. 

22d.  Tyon,  a  large  place  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  under  Kenga. 

23d.  Tamki  (see  above),  a  large  place  under  the  chief  Bishara  Milkete.  Tamki, 
in  a  straight  line  from  Kenga,  is  only  one  day  S.W. 

24th.  Gobera,  a  place  on  a  mountain,  consisting  of  a  rock  of  red  color,  the  in- 
habitants of  which  are  armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  and  are  very  for- 
midable.   This  tract  contains  several  water-courses. 

25th.  Jay  a,  a  group  of  several  villages  on  the  top  of  a  mountain. 

26th.  Minedogo. 

27th.  Middogo,  a  place,  or  rather  district,  mountainous,  and  comprising  about 
40  hamlets,  lying  around  an  isolated  mountain,  under  the  chieftain  A'bu 
Khodr.  The  inhabitants,  on  the  inroad  of  the  Waday  people  in  1852, 
retired  to  the  mountain,  which  they  held  for  seven  months,  till  the 
Waday  army  retired. 

28th.  Drongolo,  a  village  of  the  A'fanin,  as  they  are  called,  a  section  of,  or 
rather  an  indigenous  tribe  subjected  to  the  Kiika,  in  the  valley  of  the 
Bat-ha,  with  stagnant  pools. 

29th.  Kiinjur,  a  place  of  the  Kiika. 

30th.  A'm-Kharuba,  a  district  comprising  numerous  hamlets  on  the  Bat-hn. 

which  is  fringed  with  dum-palms.    A  very  short  distance. 
31st.  Kornay,  a  large  place  of  the  Kuka,  consisting  entirely  of  reed  huts.  The 

principal  produce  is  millet. 
32d.  Birket  Fatima,  a  large  stagnant  water  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Bat-ha, 

Informant  now  turns  south. 
33d.  A  large  place  of  the  Masmaje,  Arab  cattle-breeders  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain . 


KU'KAWA  TO  BANG-BAY. 


691 


Day. 

the  summit  of  which  is  inhabited  by  pagans.  The  district  abounds  witli 
large  trees. 

34th.  A  considerable  village  of  the  Dajo..  In  the  Khalla  a  large  number  of  Fullan, 
as  the  Fulbe  are  there  called,  graze  their  herds. 

35th.  Korbe  (?),  a  large  place,  or  rather  district  of  the  Masalat  or  Masalit  (whom 
my  informant  erroneously  takes  to  be  Arabs),  with  numerous  herds,  of  a 
very  thievish  disposition,  on  a  water-course  called  Berekat.  North  of  the 
Masalat,  according  to  my  informant,  there  is  no  water-course  properly 
speaking, 

36th.  A  hamlet  of  the  Salamat  Arabs,  mixed  with  pagans,  and  themselves  pagans ; 

on  the  Bahr  e'  Tmi,  a  stagnant  water. 
37th.  A  district  of  the  Welad  Rashid,  name  not  known. 
38th.  A  large  place  of  the  Bandala,  in  a  district  rich  in  honey. 
39th.  Dar  Seli,  an  extensive  district  quite  level  and  bare  of  trees. 
40th.  Sofalawen,  a  small  village  inhabited  by  Arabs,  stated  by  my  informant  to 

be  pagans,  under  'Abd  e'  Rahman  Joko. 
41st.  A  large  place  under  the  sovereign  of  Runga,  name  not  known.  The 

country  is  traversed  by  various  mountains. 
42d.  Dar  Shila,  a  mountainous  country,  with  a  river  flowing  eastward,  beyond 

which  is  Dar  Dmga. 

(v.)  From.  KuJcawa,  by  way  of  Logon  Birni  and  Buso  to  {the  Western)  Bang-Bay, 
according  to  Slave-traders. 

1st.  ITgornu. 

2d.  Ngala. 

3d.  A'fade. 
4th,  Kala  Kabe. 
5th.  Hallebii. 
6th.  Kala  Gum. 

7th.  Karnak  Logone,  or  Logon  Bi'rni. 

8th.  Kubu  ngolo,  a  large  town  surrounded  by  a  rampart. 

9th.  Bugoman,  a  large  town  under  Sultan  Masseri,  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Sharf. 

10th,  Mayemba  or  Mankhfa,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  large  river. 
11th.  Miisgu,  a  tract  comprising  a  number  of  hamlets,  with  some  isolated  emi- 
nences.   You  always  keep  along  the  water-course. 
12th.  Balenere. 
13th.  Mondo. 
14th.  Muro. 
15  th.  Gurumbanga. 
16th.  Gad(). 
17th.  Kokocho. 

18th.  Mafele,  constantly  along  the  river. 
19th.  LafFana. 

20th,  Buso,  a  large  place  under  a  powerful  chief. 
21st.  Mirti,  a  village  on  an  island  in  the  Shan'. 
22d.  Birri,  still  on  the  river. 
23d.  Mongola,  under  the  chieftain  Bimgo. 


692  APPENDIX. 

Day. 

24th.  Miitu,  a  place  on  the  same  river,  with  abundance  of  boats,  ngurutu,  and 

crocodiles,  and  surrounded  by  a  dense  wood. 
25th.  Bargna,  a  considerable  village.  . 
26th.  Y6,  another  pagan  place. 
27th.  Billay,  the  last  place  on  the  Shan. 

28th.  Nigi,  a  village  situated  in  a  tract  intersected  by  small  water-courses,  which 

join  the  river. 
29th.  Togila,  on  the  Bachikam. 
80th.  Kerbe,  a  large  place  in  a  woody  tract. 
31st.  Gorewo. 

32d.  Biikkabe,  a  place  situated  on  a  river. 

33d.  Limmirkay,  on  the  large  river,  one  day  from  Attar. 

34:th.  Bekang.    The  inhabitants  of  all  these  places  go  naked,  are  only  armed 

with  the  hand-bill,  and  eat  dogs'  flesh. 
35th.  Korbol,  another  village  on  the  same  river. 

36th.  Biiwa  Dasar,  so  called  from  the  chief  Dasar.  The  people  eat  beef  and 
horse-flesh,  and  gird  their  loins  with  horse-tails.  The  "delu"-tree  is 
said  to  be  their  deity. 

37th.  Kona. 

38th.  Nyegel. 

39th.  NQem,  a  place  on  a  headland  between  the  Shan',  toward  the  west,  and  a 

tributary  of  the  latter,  the  River  of  Andi,  on  the  east  side. 
40th.  Kunno. 

41st.  Jenge,  a  large  place  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain  which  here  starts  up  from 
the  plain. 

42d.  Gashaflar,  a  village  in  a  mountainous  district. 

43d.  Tengi,  a  place  in  a  mountainous  tract  on  the  west  bank  of  a  river  (the 
Shari?). 

44th.  Fatum,  in  a  woody  plain  on  the  river. 
45th.  K6m. 

46th.  Kumra  (Sara-ngar-Kumra),  in  a  mountainous  tract. 

47th.  Bang-Bay,  in  a  hilly  tract,  with  four  chiefs,  one  of  whom  is  Jmidil. 

48th.  Kudumur,  a  place  near  a  mountain. 

49th.  Gejjemir,  a  village  with  a  mountain  and  a  river  to  the  south. 

50th.  Bang-Denr,  a  mountainous  tract  with  a  river,  abounding  in  the  tree  called 

ko,  which  bears  a  large  fruit. 
51st.  Day,  in  a  mountainous  tract,  with  a  river. 

52d.  Gural,  a  place  situated  in  a  level  tract,  inhabited  by  a  fierce  race  of  people 

of  a  red  color. 
53d.  Cholol,  residence  of  the  chief  Kiki. 
54th.  Jogto,  a  large  place.    All  short  marches. 

55th.  Mugmo,  in  a  woody  plain  with  small  water-courses  without  a  current,  pro- 
ducing millet,  and  abounding  with  elephants  and  beasts  of  prey,  particu- 
larly hyajnas. 

56tl).  Gam,  a  place  in  a  level  tract,  the  inhabitants  of  which  go  naked,  are  only 

armed  with  the  hand-bill,  and  eat  dog's  flesh. 
57th.  Somray,  in  a  plain,  with  small  water-courses. 
58th.  Yalma,  in  a  plain.    You  here  change  your  course. 


MA'S-ENA'  TO  M'AWO'.— BABAXIYA'  TO  MOI'TO'.  693 

Day. 

59th.  Dolema,  in  a  level  tract,  subject  to  Somray,  with  large  trees,  producing 

only  millet.    The  people  breed  dogs,  cattle,  and  pigs. 
60th.  Chi're,  a  large  place. 

61st.  Gabberi,  in  a  plain,  devoid  of  running  water,  and  having  only  wells. 
62d.  Kfmre. 

(x.)  Fi'ovi  Mas-end,  by  way  of  Gdwi,  to  M'awo,  according  to  Agid  Musa, 
who  nine  years  ago  was  sent  by  'Othman  Bugoman  to  Kanem  to  pay  his  respects 
to  Mohammed,  the  son  of  'Abd  el  Jelil,  and  to  deliver  to  him  a  number  of  slaves 
as  a  present,  by  way  of  opening  negotiations.  Miisa,  however,  barely  escaped 
being  killed  by  the  Khalifa  'Ali,  the  Governor  of  M'awo  and  a  partisan  of  Waday, 
and  the  negotiations  were  soon  broken  off  in  consequence  of  the  insecurity  of 
the  road. 
Day. 

1st.  A'bu-Gher  (see  above). 
2d.  Chekka. 
3d.  Derja. 

4th.  Meddeba,  on  the  Shari,  a  little  above  Klesem. 

5th.  Gawi,  a  town  formerly  of  importance,  but  containing  at  present,  after  hav- 
ing been  destroyed  by  the  Sheikh  Mohammed  el  Kanemi,  who,  assisted 
by  Mustafa  el  A'hmar  and  Mukni,  took  it,  after  a  long  resistance,  in  A.H. 
1234 — only  a  small  population.    Gawi  from  Klesem  about  20  miles. 

6th.  A  place  of  the  Yamanuk  Arabs,  or  the  Daghana,  on  a  sheet  of  water. 

7th.  Kidik. 

8th.  Babaliya,  formerly  the  capital  of  an  independent  territory,  with  a  peculiar 
dialect  like  that  of  Bugoman ;  at  present  nearly  deserted,  since  its  de- 
struction together  with  Gawi  in  1234  A.H.,  and  possessing  but  a  ver}' 
small  remnant  of  population.    Babaliya  is  about  twelve  miles  from  the 
Sharf,  and  thirty  miles,  or  a  long  day's  journey,  from  Gawi. 
9th.  Ziyan,  a  plate  belonging  to  Karka  or  Kargha. 
10th.  A  hamlet  belonging  to  Karka,  not  far  from  the  lake. 
11th.  1 

13th  \  Hillelat  (small  hamlets)  of  Karka. 
14th. J 

15th.  A  village  of  the  Nefasa. 

1 6th.  A  village  of  the  Kanem  Arabs.    A  long  night's  march,  from  'aser  (four 

o'clock  P.M.)  till  the  next  morning. 
17th.  M'awo. 

From  Babaliya  to  Moito,  according  to  Ramadhdn  Degeji. 
1st.  Augura,  a  place  of  the  Kuka. 

2d.  Dimdim,  a  wadi  whence  the  inhabitants  of  Moito  fetch  natron,  and  much 

frequented  by  the  Shuwa,  who  like  to  graze  their  herds  therein. 
3d.  Kargha. 
4th.  Babaliya. 


694 


APPENDIX. 


From  Mas-end  to  Meddebd. 


Day. 

.1st.  Bakada, 
2d.  Kollekolle, 
3d.  Marga, 


}  separated  by  short  distances.  Very  easy  to  be  performed  i; 
'  C     two  days. 


4th.  Jtigode,  a  large  place  inhabited  by  Kanuri,  with  a  khalifa. 
5th.  Meddeba. 

(^.)  Places  on  the  Shdrt,  descending  the  river  from  Bugomdn. 

Below  Bugoman  are  situated  on  the  river :  Yaiiya ;  Bala  Masa,  with  a  ram- 
part ;  Kulji ;  A'su  or  Aisu,  with  a  rampart  in  the  utmost  state  of  decay ;  Ndara ; 
Mai  Dala ;  Gediye,  and  Mele. 

Below  Mele  are  situated  on  the  river :  Meddeba ;  Klesem,  a  considerable  place, 
with  a  peculiar  dialect,  twenty  miles  from  Mele;  Tibalo;  Shegguwa  or  Kinji 
Burgu,  with  the  ford  of  Sina-Facha,  where  the  River  of  Logon,  or  the  laghame 
Logone  (the  Arre  of  the  Musgu),  falls  into  the  Shari ;  Gulfe ;  Mafang ;  Shawi,  a 
place  well-known  from  Denham's  description ;  Makari,  a  very  important  place, 
which,  it  is  much  to  be  regretted,  we  were  prevented  from  visiting. 

For  the  very  important  itinerary  of  an  expedition  undertaken  from  A'm-ma- 
jiira  in  Dar-Fur,  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  through  Banda  (called  Dar  Banda) 
to  the  borders  of  a  large  river  running  westward,  which  must  be  one  of  the  great 
objects  of  discovery  to  future  expeditions,  see  Journal  of  the  Royal  Geog.  Soc, 
1853,  vol.  xxiii.,  p.  120. 


APPENDIX  XL 


FKAGMENTS  OF  A  METEOROLOGICAL  REGISTER. 


Date. 

Hour  of  the 
Day. 

fci  'f 

Fah. 

Remarks. 

Date. 

Hour  of  the 
Day. 

Deg.  in 
scale  of 
Fah. 

Remarks. 

1851. 

1851. 

April 

May 

20 

No  obsv'n. 

13 

X, 

80-6 

21 

sunrise. 

73-4 

noon. 

100-4 

noon. 

95 

s. 

90*5 

In    the  evening 

sunset. 

87-8 

thick  clouds. 

22 

r. 

71-6 

14 

r. 

80-6 

noon. 

96-8 

noon. 

104 

s. 

98-6 

s. 

100-4 

23 

r. 

68 

15 

r. 

77 

noon. 

96-8 

noon. 

105 

24-28 

No  obsv'ii. 

s. 

86 

29 

s. 

89-6 

16 

r. 

79-7 

Atmosphere  ver^' 

30 

X. 

69-8 

104 

oppressive. 

noon. 

99 

noon. 

s. 

89-6 

s. 

95 

May 

17 

r. 

81-5 

Heavy  gale  from 

1 

r. 

70-3 

N.\V.  in  the  fore- 

noon. 

100-4 

noon. 

2 

1.0  P.M. 

104 

noon. 

104 

3 

Y. 

74 

s. 

92-3 

1.0  P.M. 

104 

18 

82-4 

s. 

91-4 

noon. 

105-8 

4 

r. 

73-4 

19 

r. 

78-8 

1.0  P.M. 

105-8 

noon. 

104 

s. 

95 

s. 

93-2 

5 

X, 

84-2 

Sk}'  dull  and  clou- 

20 

X, 

78 

dy,  srraduallv 

noon. 

107-6 

becoming  more 

s. 

92-3 

overcast. 

21 

r. 

77 

1.0  P.M. 

105-8 

Three  o'clock  P.M. 

noon. 

104 

a  few  claps  of 

1.30  P.M. 

107-6 

thunder  without 

s. 

96-8 

lightning,  and 

22 

X. 

77 

with  only  a  little 

noon. 

104 

rain. 

s. 

95 

Lightning  in  the 

s. 

86 

evening. 

6 

r. 

80-6 

23 

r. 

77 

noon. 

105-9 

noon. 

104 

At  three  o'clock 

s. 

91-4 

P.M.  a  tornado 

7 

r. 

76 

and  a  little  rain. 

8 

r. 

95 

s. 

90-5 

noon. 

106-2 

24 

r. 

77 

9 

noon. 

107-6 

noon. 

98-6 

10 

noon. 

106-7 

s. 

97-7 

11 

s. 

86 

25 

r. 

79-7 

r. 

78 

noon. 

96-8 

12 

noon. 

106-7 

26 

noon. 

97-7 

Sky  thickly  over- 

r. 

80-6 

Very  strong  wind ; 

cast;  a  few  drops 

in  the  afternoon 

of  rain. 

a  thunder-storm, 

s. 

93-2 

with  some  rain  at 

27 

r. 

78-8 

4  o'clock  P.M. 

noon. 

104 

noon. 

105-8 

s. 

93-.2 

In    the  evening 

s. 

77 

lightning. 

696 


APPENDIX. 


Date. 


1851. 

May 
28 
29 
30 

31 


June 
1 


Hour  of  the 
Day. 


10 


13 


No  obsv'n. 
noon. 

s. 

r. 
noon. 


r. 

noon, 
s. 


r. 

noon. 

r. 
noon. 

r. 
noon. 

r. 


2.0  P.M. 
s. 
r. 

noon. 


No  obsv'n, 


Deg.  in 
scale  of 
Fah. 


2.0  P.M. 


r. 

i  noon. 


84-2 
99-5 


75-2 
99-5 


90-5 

78-8 

98-  6 

99-  5 


79-7 
98-6 
74-3 
104-9 

74-  3 
98-6 

75-  2 


111-2 
101-3 
73-4 
93-2 


73-4 
75-2 


^2-4 
■1-6 


82-4 


69-5 
89-6 


Sky  not  clear. 


In  the  afternoon 
the  sky  became 
thickly  overcast, 
and  a  little  rain 
fell. 


In  the  evening  a 
thunder  -  storm, 
toward  the  south 
and  the  north, 
came  down  upon 
us,  accompanied 
with  heavy  rain. 

Tornado  near  us. 


Weather  extreme- 
ly sultry ;  at  2 
P.M.  a  heavy 
thunder  -  storm, 
with  much  rain. 


At  10  P.M.  fright- 
ful tempest,  with 
much  rain.  j 

In  the  evening  a 
thunder-storm  in 
the  distance. 

At  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  a 
tornado,  with  a 
short  but  heavy 
shower.  In  the 
night  another 
storm,  but  no 
rain  near  us. 

In  the  afternoon  a 
storm,  with  but 
little  rain.  j 
Sky  cloudy,  \ 
Atmosphere  humid 
and  rainy,  felt 
quite  chili}',  sun 
did  not  come 
forth  till  after 
noon,  I 

In  the  afternoon  a.' 
thvmder  -  storm' 
toward  the  south. i 


Date. 


1851. 

June 
13 
14 


Hour  of  the 
Day. 


Deg.  inl 
scale  of 
Fah 


S, 

r. 

noon. 


r. 

noon, 
s. 


s. 
r. 

noon. 


21  I  r. 

2.0  P.M. 


22  No  obsv'n, 


23  r. 

24, 25 'No  obsv'n, 
26  r. 


June  ^ 
27  to 
Julv 


No  obser- 
vation. 


1.0  P.M. 
5.30  A.M. 
r, 

1,30  P,M. 


75-1 
79-7 
91-4 


95-1 

77 

77 

90-5 

80-6 


75-2 
91-4 


86 
78-8 


70-7 
65-3 


About  2  P.M.  a 
tornado,  with  a 
little  rain  later  in 
the  afternoon. 

8  P.M.  a  tornado, 
but  not  much 
rain. 


71-6 


80-6 


79-7 
82-4 


During  the  night 
tornado  with  rain. 

Fine  clear  morn- 
ing. 

P.M.  heavy  thun- 
der-storm. 


In  the  evening 
a  tornado  with 
heav}'  rain. 

(Yola.) 

1  o'clock  P.M.  a 
storm  broke  forth 
with  great  vio- 
lence, in  conse- 
quence of  which 
it  became  quite 
cool. 

In  the  morning, 
sun  lurid  and  at- 
mosphere moist, 
afterward  verv 
hot. 


In  the  evening  a 
heavy torn ado,  ac- 
companied with 
rain,  lasting  from 
9  P.M.  to  6  A.M. 
27th. 


Rain  in  the  even- 
ing and  during 
the  night. 

Sky  thicklj'  over- 
cast. 

Heavv  rain  last- 
ing"^till  71  A.M. 


In  the  afternoon  a 
heavy  thunder- 
stonn  with  rain. 


METEOROLOGICAL  TABLE. 


697 


Hour  of  the 
Day. 


1851.1 

July  i 

13  Xo  o1)sv' 

u 


15 


Deg.  in' 
scale  of; 
Fah. 


Hour  of  the 
Dav. 


20-23  No  obsv'n, 
24:  noon. 
28  r. 


Aug. 

2 


noon, 
noon. 


r. 

noon. 


No  obsv'n. 

noon. 
No  therm, 
observ'n. 


93-2 
78-8 


r9-7 

57-8 


93-2 
89-6 
74 


89-6 
86 


95 


Skv  cloudy;  7  P.j 
M.  storm  accom- 
panied by  verj'i 
heavy  rain,  last-' 
ingtill  midnight.; 

Sky  cloudy  in  the 
morning ;  sun' 
came  forth  at  8 
A.M.  ;  a  little 
rain  the  follow- 
ing night.  I 

Sky  thickly  over- 
cast ;  storm  in 
the  night.  j 

A  little  before  sun-, 
set  a  storm,  ac-j 
companied  by 
heav}-  rain. 

Weather  clear. 

Soon  after  sunrise 
a  storm  broke 
forth,  accompa- 
nied by  rain, last- 
ing till  noon. 

(Kukawa.) 

Sky  overcast ;  a 
few  drops  of 
rain;  8.30  A.M. 
a  heav}'  thunder- 
storm, with  rain 
till  11  o'clock. 

In  the  night  some 
more  rain. 


A  thunder  -  storm 
early  in  the 
morning;  10  A 
M.  a  few  drops 
of  rain. 


1851. 
Aug. 


24 
25 

Heavy     thunder-  26 
storm    in  the 
night  of  the  2d, 
with   the    most  ] 
plentiful  fall  of  27,28 


10) 
12 


13,14 
15 


1.0  P.M. 
noon. 


noon, 
noon. 


No  therm 
observ'n 
r. 


noon. 
No  obsv'n 


Dee.  in  I 

scale  of  Remarks. 


73-4 
84-2 


78-8 
89-6 


71-6 


16 

17,18  No  obsv'n 
19  noon. 

20 


ram  which  wei 
had  during  this' 
season.  In  the 
night  of  the  4th' 
another  very; 
heavy  fall  of; 
rain, 'lasting  till 
the  morning, and 
not  accompaniedi 


29 
30 
31 
Sept. 
1 
2 


No  obsv'n 
noon, 
noon. 


noon. 


No  obsv'n. 


No  obsv'n, 

noon. 
No  obsv'n, 


88-7 


89-6 
91-4 


89-6 


by  an)"  thunder 
of  lightning. 
9.15  A.M.  a  heavy 
shower,  lasting 
till  11  o'clock, 
preceded  b}' gusts 
of  Avind,  and  fol- 
lowed by  a  few 
claps  of  thunder. 

In  the  morning 
skv  overcast. 

At  10.30  A.M.  rain. 

The  morning  fine ; 
about  noon  sky 
overcast ;  about 
2  P.M.  a  heavy 
thunder  -  storm, 
with  much  rain. 

In  the  morning 
rainy;  aftenvard 
the  '  sun  broke 
forth. 

Fine  weather. 

11  A.M.ver)'  heavy 
shower,  but  onlj- 
of  short  duration. 


About  11  o'clock 
A.M.  rain ;  and 
again  in  the  aft- 
ernoon. 

Sk}-  overcast. 

Fine  weather. 

In  the  night  a 
thunder  -  storm, 
with  heavj'  rain. 

Skv  overcast. 

At' 9  P.M.  heaA-)' 
thunder  -  storm, 
with  a  tolerable 
quantit}'  of  rain. 

A  cold  northerly 
wind. 

■|  A.M.  a  heav}- 
thunder  -  storm, 
with  moderate 
rain. 

Fine  weather. 


Fine  weather. 

10  o'clock,  thun- 
der-storm, with 
heavy  rain. 

In  the  morning,  till 


698 


APPENDIX. 


Date. 

Hour  of  the 
Day. 

Deg.  in 
scale  of 
Fall. 

Remarks. 

Date. 

Hour  of  the 
Day. 

Deg.  in 
scale  of 
Fah. 

1851. 

1851. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

101-3 

near  noon,  rain ; 
afterward  fine 
weather. 

11 

noon. 

At  noon  thunder- 
storm gathering 
on  all  sides.  At 

4 

noon. 

87-8 

In  the  afternoon 
some  rain. 

2  P.M.  a  little 
rain. 

5 

No  obsv'n. 

12 

noon. 

98-6 

G 

noon. 

89-6 

2.0  P.M. 

100-4 

7 

Agood  deal  of  rain. 

13,14 

J 

Strong  northerly 

at  times  heavier, 

gale. 

at  others  gentle. 

15 

noon. 

101-3 

8 

noon. 

86 

16-21 

No  obsv'n. 

9 

noon. 

89-6 

22 

noon. 

100-4 

10 

No  obsv'n. 

23 

2.0  P.M. 

108 

11 

Heavy  dew. 

24 

2.0  P.M. 

109-4 

12 

noon. 

91-4 

25 

1.0  P.M. 

109 

13 

noon. 

89-6 

Sky  overcast.  Sun 
gradually  broke 
forth. 

26 
27 

2.0  P.M. 

noon. 
2.0  P.M. 

107-  6 
105-8 

108-  5 

After  3  o'clock,  a 

14 

r. 

77 

thunder  -  storm 

15 

Heavy  gale. 

from  the  south ; 

16 

r. 

72-5 

rain  toward  the 

17 

No  obsv'n. 

west. 

18 

2.0  P.M. 

98-6 

(Town  of  Y6.) 

28 

No  obsv'n. 

19 

2.0  P.M. 

98-6 

29 

2.0  P.M. 

100-4 

20 

2.0  P.M. 

96-8 

Heavy  easterly 

30 

gales. 

to 

1  No  obser- 

s. 

87-8 

Dec. 

i  vation. 

21,22 

No  obsv'n. 

1 

J 

23 

2.30  P.M. 

89-6 

A  thunder-storm, 
with  a  little  rain. 
C  27th,  storm,  with 

2 
3 

1.0  P.M. 
r. 

1.30  P.M. 

96-8 
64-4 
96-8 

24-29 

No  obsv'n. 

<  considei-able  rain 

4 

No  obsv'n. 

( in  the  afternoon. 

5 

1.30  P.M. 

82-4 

(Di'kowa.)  Thick 

30 

r. 

1.0  P.M. 

69-8 
102-2 

(Kanem.) 

A   hot  northerly 

wind  from  the 

desei-t. 

fog  in  the  morn- 
ing, as  was  often 
the  case  at  this 
season. 

Oct. 

6 

1.30  P.M. 

95 

1 

2.0  P.M. 

106-7 

7 

No  obsv'n. 

2 

No  obsv'n. 

8 

1.30  P.M. 

94 

3 

noon. 

101-3 

9, 10 

No  obsv'n. 

2.0  P.M. 

104 

11 

1.30  P.M. 

89-6 

4 

noon. 
2.0  P.M. 

100-4 

104 

12 

r. 

1.30  P.M. 

53-5 
90-5 

5 

noon. 

98-6 

13 

No  obsv'n. 

6.15  P.M. 

96-8 

14 

r. 

51-8 

6 

noon. 

100-4 

15 

No  obsv'n. 

2.0  P.M. 

105-8 

16 

r. 

55-4 

7 

r. 

68 

17 

No  obsv'n. 

noon. 

102-2 

18 

5.30  P.M. 

55-4 

2.0  P.M. 

105-5 

19 

r. 

52-7 

8 

noon. 

103 

20 

51-8 

2.0  P.M. 

105-8 

2.0  '^P.M. 

86 

9 

noon. 

101 

21 

r. 

51 

2.0  P.M. 

104 

About    2  o'clock 
P.M,  a  thunder- 
storm toward  S. 
E.  ;    about  sun- 
set a  little  rain. 

22 
23-25 

26 
27 

r. 

No  obsv'n. 
r. 
r. 
s. 

51-8 

56-3 
56-3 
74-3 

10 

noon. 

104 

28,29 

No  obsv'n. 

2.0  P.M. 

111 

A  thunder  -  storm. 
A  little  rain  in 
the  evening. 

30 
31 

r. 

No  obsv'n. 

61-7 

METEOROLOGICAL  TABLE. 


699 


Date. 

Hour  of  the 
Day. 

scafe  ol 
Fah. 

Remarks. 

j  Date. 

Hour  of  the 
Day. 

8C!lfe  of 

Fah. 

Remarks. 

1852. 

1852, 

Jan, 

Feb. 

1 

No  obsv'n. 

60-8 

(W uliya,  Miisgu.) 

5 

noon. 

78 

2 

r. 

s. 

72-5 

3 

r. 

59 

6 

r. 

63-5 

noon. 

96-8 

12,15 

80-6 

4 

noon. 

95 

s. 

75-8 

s. 

82-4 

7 

r. 

62-6 

5 

No  obsv'n. 

noon. 

84-2 

6 

r. 

59 

s. 

77 

7 

r. 

59 

8 

r. 

62-6 

1.30  P.M.  100-4 

1.0  P.M. 

81-5 

8 

6.0  A.M. 

59 

s. 

78-3 

1,0  P.M. 

91-4 

9 

r. 

63-5 

s. 

77 

noon. 

87-8 

9 

57-2 

s. 

79-7 

2.0  Vm, 

96-8 

10 

r. 

64-4 

78-8 

noon. 

87-8 

10 

No  obsv'n. 

s. 

79-7 

11 

62-6 

11 

r. 

68 

1.30^P.M, 

95 

In  cool  shade. 

noon. 

95 

1100-4 

In  ventilated  tent. 

s. 

81-5 

12 

r. 

70-2 

12 

oy 

noon. 

92 

1.0  P.M. 

87.fi 

s. 

86 

s. 

77 

13 

r. 

69-8 

13 

Do  0 

noon. 

98-6 

l,3o'^P,M, 

04  / 

In  very  cool  shade, 

s. 

87-8 

Heavy  gale. 

with  cool  north- 

14 

r. 

70-7 

erly  breeze. 

1.30  P.M. 

98-6 

s. 

74-3 

15 

r. 

69-8 

14 

r. 

56-3 

1.30  P.M. 

98-6 

15 

r. 

51 

s. 

86 

noon. 

87 

16 

r. 

69-8 

s. 

70-7 

12.45 

98-6 

16 

r. 

52-7 

s. 

87-8 

noon. 

91-4 

17 

r. 

71-6 

17 

55-4 

12.45 

102-2 

1.30^P.M. 

89-6 

s. 

86 

18 

X, 

57-2 

18 

r. 

69-8 

1.0  P.M. 

86 

1.45  P.M. 

101 

19,20  No  obsv'n. 

s. 

87-8 

21 

r. 

58 

19 

r. 

70-7 

22 

s. 

75-2 

1.30  P.M. 

98-6 

The  evening  fogg5^ 

r. 

56-3 

20 

r. 

67-3 

23 

r. 

59 

12.45 

102-2 

24 

No  obsv'n. 

21 

r. 

68 

All  this  time  much 

25 

r. 

56-3 

sickness  in  Ku- 

26 

52-7 

kawa. 

l,3o'^P.M. 

93-2 

1,15  P,M. 

99-5 

s. 

75-2 

s. 

86 

27 

r. 

57-2 

22 

r. 

66-2 

28 

noon. 

98-6 

1.45  P.M. 

89-6 

29 

r. 

59 

s. 

79-7 

30,31 

No  obsv'n. 

23 

r. 

68 

Feb. 

1.30  P,M, 

88-7 

1 

No  obsv'n. 

(Kukawa.) 

s. 

78-8 

2 

r. 

56-3 

24 

67 

noon. 

75-2 

1.0  P.M. 

87 

s. 

65-3 

s. 

77 

3 

59 

25 

r. 

64-4 

12,45^' 

70-7 

26 

65-5 

4 

r. 

55-4 

1.0  ^P,M. 

89 

s. 

71-6 

s. 

80-6 

5 

r. 

61-7 

27 

r. 

66-2 

700 


APPENDIX. 


Date. 

Hour  of  the 
Day. 

De^.  in 
Fah. 

Remarks 

Date. 

1852. 

1852. 

Feb. 

April 

27 

2.0  P.M. 

91 

2 

S. 

80-6 

3 

28 

r. 

67 

1.0  P.M. 

91-4 

82-4 

Mar. 

1 

r. 

67-3 

12.30 

91-4 

2 

s. 
r. 

86 
69 

1.0  P.M. 

96-8 

s. 

86 

3 

r. 

71-6 

1.0  P.M. 

100-4 

4 

r. 

71-6 

1.30  P.M. 

95 

5 

1.30  P.M. 

97-7 

s. 

86 

6 

r. 

78-8 

1.30  P.M. 

99-5 

s. 

80-6 

7 

r. 

71-6 

1.30  P.M. 

94 

s. 

84-2 

8 

r. 

71-6 

1.30  P.M. 

96-8 

4 

s. 

86 

9 

No  obsv'n. 

10 

r. 

70-O 

1.30  P.M. 

98-2 

s. 

89 

5 

11 

No  obsv'n. 

12 

1.30  P.M. 

94 

13 

Logon  birni.  About 

2.30  P.M.  a  lit- 

tle rain. 

14 

r. 

71-6 

15 

2.0  P.M. 

94-1 

16 

1.30  P.M. 

98-2 

17 

r. 

75-2 

Sky        overcast ; 

thick  clouds. 

18 

1.0  P.M. 

96-8 

19 

No  obsv'n. 

20 

1.30  P.M. 

92-8 

21 

r. 

57-7 

s. 

83-3 

22 

1;30  P.M. 

100 

23 

r. 

58 

2.0  P.M. 

101-5 

6 

24 

r. 

62-6 

1.30  P.M. 

102-2 

s. 

87-8 

Skv  overcast. 

25 

r. 

69-4 

7 

2.0  P.M. 

98-6 

26-30 

No  obsv'n. 

31 

noon. 

104-7 

1.30  P.M. 

107-4 

Bakada. 

8 

April 

63 

1.30^P.M. 

106-2 

s. 

91-8 

2 

66-6 

1.30^P.M. 

105-3 

Hour  of  the 
Day. 


Deg.  in 
scale  of 
Fah. 


12.30 
1.30  P.M, 
s. 


r. 

noon. 


1.30  P.M, 
s. 
r. 


1.15  P.M 
r. 

1.0 
2.0 


87-8 
73 


102-7 
87-8 
85-1 


73 

100-4 


81-5 


91-4 
90-5 
76-3 


105-4 
72 

P.M.  106-7 
P.M.  109-4 
94-6 
76-5 


The  first  thunder- 
storm of  the 
rainy  season. 
The  sky  in  the 
morning  thickly 
overcast;  the  air 
moist.  The  sun 
broke  through 
the  clouds  after 
9  o'clock  ;  but 
half  an  hour  past 
noon  the  thun- 
der-storm broke 
forth  at  a  short 
distance  toward 
the  south,  from 
whence  it  pro- 
ceeded, reaching 
us  at  1  P.M. 

From  1  o'clock  to 
1.23  large  drops 
of  rain,  followed 
b}'  heavy  gusts 
of  wind. " 

About  11  o'clock 
thick  rain-clouds 
gathering,  but  no 
rain. 

About  5  o'clock  in 
the  morning  the 
thunder  -  storm 
broke  forth, with 
light  rain  lasting 
till  about  8  A.M. 
Then  the  sun 
broke  through 
the  clouds, while 
the  thunder  con- 
tinued. At  9.30 
A.M.  again  a  lit- 
tle rain,  the  sky 
remaining  over- 
cast the  rest  of 
the  day. 


Sky  thickly  over- 
cast; storm  to- 
ward the  north. 


Sky  overcast ;  at 
11  o'clock  a  little 
rain  began,  often 
interrupted,  the 
thunder  -  storm 
gradually  turn- 
ing to  the  north. 


METEOROLOGICAL  TABLE. 


701 


Hour  of  the 
Day. 


1852. 

April 


noon. 
1.15  P.M, 


10 


2.0  P.M. 
1.0  P.M 


11 


1.30  P.M. 


Deg.  in 
scale  of 
Fah. 


80 


98- 
104 


12 


1.30  P.M, 


1.30  P.M. 

s. 

r. 
noon. 
2.30  P.M. 


94 
104 

92-5  Aoout  8  P.M.  a 
!  thunder  -  storm 
j  arose  from  the 
I  east,  accompa- 
nied b}'  much 
wind,  but  only 
little  rain;  night 
ver}-  oppressive. 
The  sky  overcast ; 
atmosphere  op-j 
pressive.  About' 
8  o'clock  a  few' 
drops  of  rain. 

About  3  A.M.  a! 
thunder  -  storm,! 
without  wind,  I 
but  accompanied 
by  considerable! 
rain,  which  last-' 
ed  for  about  an 
hour  and  a  half. 

100 

76 "3  Sky  overcast. 
103  1 

87*4  In  the  evening  a 
I    thunder  -  storm^ 

0  j  gathered  from| 
1  the  west,  but 
bringing  onh'  aj 
'    fe  w  drops  of  rain,  j 

75 '6  Sky  overcast;  sul-^ 

95-5  About  2  P.M.  a' 
99-3  thunder-storm  in 
!  the  distance  east-^ 
ward,  gradually! 
approaching,  and 
sending  forth  at 
sun.set  uninter- 
rupted peals  of 
thunder  and 
flashes  of  light- 
ning, with  onh" 
a  few  drops  of 
rain,  but  heavy 
squalls  of  wind 
lasting  till  about 
8  P.^1. ;  a  heavy ^ 
shower  followed, 
lasting  for  about, 
two  hours. 


1852. 
April 


15 


4 

7  About   noon  the 
.sky  became  thick- 
i  1}'  overcast,  and 
j   at  1  P.M.  a  few' 
I  large  drops  fell,! I 


16 


24 
25 


Hour  of  the 
Day. 


Deg 
scale  of 
Fah. 


1.30  P.M. 

2.0  P.M. 


1.0  P.M. 


No  obsv'n. 

No  obsv'n. 
1.20  P.M. 


No  obsv'n. 
1.15  P.M. 


noon. 
12.30 


88-2 
76-6 


96-8 
101-4 

90 
80-2 


80-6 


104-4 


100-4 

102-2 
95-4 


followed  by  a 
shower  for  about 
ten  minutes ;  the 
sky  remained 
overcast. 

About  7  o'clock  in 
the  morning  a 
few  drops  fell, 
but  afterward 
the  sky  cleared 
up ;  and  in  the 
afternoon  a  fre.sh 
breeze  arose.  In 
the  following 
night  a  little  rain. 

In  the  morning  the 
sky  overcast,  and 
a  little  rain  fell. 

About  noon  a  hea- 
vy wind  arose 
from  S.E.,  and 
the  sky  became 
again  '  thickly 
overcast. 


At  2  o'clock  in  the 
morning  a  heavy 
N.E.  wind  arose. 

Sultrs'  dav. 

At  2  'P.I\r.  a  thun- 
der-storm gath- 
ered from  S.E. 
At  3.30  o'clock 
it  began  raining, 
first  slightly,  but 
from  3.45  to  4.15 
a  heavy  shower 
followed,greatly 
refreshing  the 
temperature.  — 
The  rain  then 
ceased,  Avhile  the 
thunder  contin- 
ued, with  heavj' 
squalls  from  E. 
N.E.;  but  at  sun- 
set the  rain  be- 
gan afresh,  and 
lasted  for  full 
two  hours. 

Th^  sun  broke 
through  the  thun- 
der-clouds about 
8  A.M. 

The  sk)'  overcast, 
but  no  rain. 

At  4  P.M.  a  heavy 
shower,  but  ot 
short  duration, 


'702 


APPENDIX. 


1852. 
April 


26 


29 


30 


May 


Hour  of  the  f/,f , 


1.45  P.M. 


101-8 


followed  but  not 
preceded  by  thun- 
der. 

Sky  thickly  over- 
cast ;  the  sun 
breakingthrough 
the  clouds  at9.30 
A.M.,  the  atnios 
phere  remaining 
.  sultry.  In  the 
afternoon  a  thun- 
der-storm accom- 
panied by  heav\ 
squalls  of  wind, 
but  no  rain. 

Atmosphere  sultry. 

(Miis-eiia'.) 

In  the  afternoon  a 
thunder  -  storm 
gathered,  but 
brought  us  only 
a  few  drops  of 
rain  in  the  even- 
ing. 

The  sky  the  Avhole 
day  overcast  ; 
the  afternoon  a 
storm  gathered 
in  the  south,  but 
not  accompani- 
ed by  rain. 

In  the  afternoon  a 
thunder  -  storm 
arose,  followed 
bv  a  considera- 
ble rain  the  fol- 
lowing night, 
lasting  for  about 
two  hours. 

Sky  overcast ;  the 
sun  breaking 
through  the 
clouds  about  10 
A.M.  ,but  only  for 
a  few  moments. 
At  4  P.M.  thick 
thunder  -  clouds, 
with  much  heat- 
lightning,  but  no 
rain. 

About  5.30  P.M. 
dark  thunder- 
clouds gathered, 
but  passed  b\ 
westward. 

A  little  before  9 
P.M.  thunder-' 
clouds  from  S.| 
W.,  with  heav}' 
squalls,  followed 
at  9  o'clock  by 
a  heavy  showei:,! 


1852. 
Mav 


Hour  of  the 
Day. 


15 


16 


17 


1.0  P.M. 

1.0  P.M. 
1.30  P.M, 


1.30  P.M. 
1.15  P.M. 
1.30  P.M. 
2.0  P.M. 
2.0  P.M 


1.45  P.M, 


4.30  P.M. 


Deg.  in| 
;ale  of 
Fah. 


lasting  for  about 
two  hours. 
No  thunder-storm. 
90*5  Fine  weather. 


88-2 
93-6 

95 


96-  8 
95-7 

97-  3 

98-  6 
98-1 


95 


96-6 


2.0  P.M 


86 


Beautiful  weather. 

Beautiful  morning ; 
in  the  afternoon 
heav}-  squalls  of 
wind'. 

Fine  d»ay. 


At  9.30  A.M.  a 
heav}'  gale. 

Sk}'  thickly  over- 
cast, the  sun  shi- 
ning forth  only 
now  and  then ; 
at  about  11  A. 
M.  the  weather 
cleared  up,  but 
became  again 
overcast  in  the 
afternoon ;  and 
at  2  o'clock  a 
thunder  -  storm 

,  gathered,  with- 
out bringing  us 
much  rain. 

The  sk}'  overcast 
the  whole  day. 
At  1.45  P.M.  dis- 
tant thunder  to- 
ward the  east; 
at  4  P.M.  it  be- 
gan raining,  and 
continued  till 
five  with  consid- 
erable violence, 
then  ceased  and 
began  again  with 
sunset, accompa- 
nied by  thunder 
now  and  then, 
and  lasting  in  a 
uniform  wav  till 
8.30  the  next 
morning. 

The  sky,  having 
cleared  up  a  lit- 
tle before  noon, 
again  became 
overcast  in  the 
afternoon. 

Sky  thickly  over- 
cast ;  the  sun 
breakingthrough 
the  clouds  about 
10  o'clock. 


METEOROLOGICAL  TABLE. 


703 


Date. 


Hour  of  the 
,  Day. 


Deg.  m 
scale  of 
Fah. 


Date. 


Hour  of  the 
Day. 


Dejj.  in 
scale  of 
Fah. 


1852. 

17 
18 
19 
20 
21 


22 
23 


1.30  P.M. 
•2.0  P.M. 
r. 


24 


25 


26 


1.15  P.M. 


2.0  P.M. 


2.30  P.M. 
r. 

1.30  P.M 
1.30^P.M 


2.0  ^ip.M 


1.0  V 


88-7 
91-4 
75-2 


74-3 


89-6 
78-8 

96-8 
75-2 
95-4 
92^3 


72-5 
96-1 


74-7 
95-5 


The  weather  dull. 

Fine  day. 

No  thunder-storm. 

At  noon  light 
thunder  -  clouds 
gathered,  bring- 
ing a  heav}'  gale, 
but  no  rain,  and 
the  weather  soon 
cleared  up. 

No  storm. 

Fine  fresh  morn- 
ing. 

Fine  weather ;  light 
clouds  gathered 
in  the  course  of 
the  afternoon, 
and  in  the  even- 
ing heat-light- 
ning. 

Wind}- ;  sky  a  lit- 
tle overcast. 

In  the  afternoon, 
after  5  o'clock, 
thunder  -  clouds 
from  we.st,as  well 
as  N.E.,  and  in 
the  latter  direc- 
tion much  heat- 
lightning  with- 
out thunder.  Af- 
ter sunset  a  little 
rain ;  ver}-  little 
in  the  town, more 
outside. 

Sky  a  little  over- 
cast ;  in  the  ev- 
ening a  thunder- 
storm, but  not 
accompanied  by 
rain  in  the  inte- 
rior of  the  town. 

Sky  a  little  over- 
cast. 


After  sunset  heat- 
lightning  and 
wind. 

At  5  P.M.  a  little 
rain  with  sun 
shine ;  a  single 
thunder-clap  be- 
ing heard. 

At  2  P.M.  heavj 

gusts  of  wind. 
Weather  clear. 


1852. 
June 
1 


No  obsv'n. 


l.SO^P.M. 


75-  2 

76-  3 
96-5 


11 


12 


13 


1.45  P.M 


2.0  P.M, 


2.0  ^P.M, 


1.45  P.M, 


77-4 
95-4 


95 


74-1 
92-7 


77 
93-2 


Sky  overcast  ;  at 
6.45  A.M.  a  little 
rain, with  distant 
thunder.  After- 
ward the  weath- 
er cleared  up. 

Sky  overcast,  the 
sun  not  coming 
forth  before  five 
P.M. 

Sky  overcast,  chilly 
atmosphere, with 
a  strong  south- 
easterly wind, till 
at  length  the  sun 
broke  through 
the  clouds  and 
scattered  them. 

About  9  P.M.  a 
thunder  -  storm 
gathered, accom- 
panied b}'  only  a 
little  rain. 

At  3.30  P.M.  a 
ver}' heavy  thun- 
der-storm!^ with 
violent  squalls 
of  wind  from  the 
north,  followed 
by  a  heavy  show- 
er, but  of  short 
duration. 

Sk}'  thickly  over- 
cast. 

Thick  clouds,  por- 
tending a  storm ; 
the  sun  broke 
through  the 
clouds  at  9  A.M. 
In  the  evening 
heat  -  lightning 
toward  the  west. 

Weather  clear. 

In  the  afternoon 
thunder  -  clouds 
gathering,  and 
at 4  P.M.  alight 
rain. 

After  4  P.M.  a 
thunder  -  storm 
from  the  south, 
but  without  rain. 

In  the  evening 
heat  -  lightning 
toward  W.N.W! 

In  the  afternoon 
thunder  -  clouds 
gathering  with 


704 


APPENDIX. 


Hour  of  the 
Day. 


1852. 
eTune 


14 


1.30^  P.M. 


15 


16 


17 


2.0  P.M. 
s. 

2.0  ^P.M. 


18 


2.0  Vm. 


ueg.  in 
scale  of 
Fah 


80- 


74-5 


74-5 
70-7 
87 


73-4 
89-6 


distant  thunder 
toward  the  west 
at  3.30.  At  5.30 
heavy  rain  to- 
ward the  north, 
but  none  in  the 
town  (Mas-efia). 
Sky  overcast  from 
3  P.M.;  heavy 
thunder  -  storm 
toward  N.E.  It 
began  raining 
with  us  at  3.30, 
mostly  heavil}', 
at  times  more 
gentl}',  till  7 
o'clock  in  the 
evening.  Also 
the  following 
night  a  little 
rain. 

Sky  thickly  over- 
cast; at  "6.25  A. 
M.  again  a  little 
rain,  the  sun 
breaking  through 
the  clouds  at  1 
P.M. 


Sk}'  overcast. 

In  the  evening 
heat  -  lightning 
toward  N.  and 
N.E. 

Sky  overcast ;  the 
sun  breaking 
forth  only  now 
and  then.  About 
6  P.M.  a  thun- 
der-storm gath- 
ered from  the 
west,  but  did  not 
reach  us,  while 
another  storm 
rose  from  E.S.E., 
but  likewise  end- 
ed in  nothing 
but  heat  -  light- 
ning, and  passed 
by  without  any 
rain. 

Sk}'  thickly  over- 
cast ;  the  sun 
breaking  forth 
onl}^  now  and 
then.  At  4  P.M. 
thunder  -  storm 
from  the  west, but 
without  bringing 
rain.  Heavy 
squalls  of  wind 
after  sunset. 


Date. 


1852. 
June 
19 


Hour  of  the 
Day. 


22 


23 


24 


25 


Deg.  in 
scale  of 
Fah. 


73-8  (N.B.— Broke  the 
last  theremome- 
ter  I  had  with 
me  at  the  time.) 
2.30  P.M.  distant 
thunder  heard,  a 
heavy  thunder- 
storm gathering 
from  the  east, 
overclouding  the 
whole  sky,  but 
without  bring- 
ing us  any  rain. 
In  the  evening 
heat-lightning. 
Weather  clear. 
5  P.M.  a  thunder- 
storm with  a 
heavj'  gale,  but 
without  rain. 
Sky  overcast ;  the 
sun  not  break- 
ing through  the 
clouds  before  the 
afternoon,  and 
only  from  time 
to  time.  In  the 
evening  heat- 
lightning  toward 
W.  and  E.N.E. 
The  sky  in  the 
morning  clearer, 
till  at  12.30  a 
thunder  -  storm 
gathered  from 
S.W.,  when  at  1 
P.M.  a  few  drops 
fell,  and  at  2.30 
a  little  more  rain. 
The  morning  clear ; 
at  6  P.M.  a  thun- 
der-storm gath- 
ering in  the  east, 
but  only  bring- 
ing a  feV  drops 
of  rain. 
In  the  preceding 
night  a  moder- 
ate fall  of  rain, 
lasting  about 
two  hours;  about 
3.30  P.M.  a  hea- 
vy gale  arose, 
and  the  sky  be- 
came overcast 
toward  the  east. 
Weather  clear. 
3  P.M.  a  thunder- 
storm from  W. 
S.W. ;  however, 
onlv  a  few  drops 
fell",  the  storm 
going  southward. 


METEOROLOGICAL  TABLE. 


705 


Hour  of  the 
Day. 


Dee.  ID 
scale  of 
Fah 


Hour  of  the 
Day. 


Ueg.  in 
scale  of 
Fah. 


1852. 

June 
28 


29 


30 


July 
1 


The  morning  fine, 
the  sky  being 
covered  with  cu- 
muli. About  4 
P.M.  a  hesLvy] 
thunder  -  storm 
gathered  from! 
the  W.,  where  it 
discharged  itself} 
without  bringing' 
us  more  than 
few  drops. 

Sky  in  the  morn- 
ing clear,  in  thej 
afternoon  clou- 
dy, in  the  night' 
a'little  rain.  j 

Sky  overcast ,  about 
5  P.M.  a  thun-j 
der-storm  gath- 
ered,but  without! 
rain  in  the  be- 
ginning, till  the 
clouds  having! 
discharged  them- 
selves toward  the 
west  and  the 
north,  it  began 
raining  with  us 
at  7  P.M.,  the 
rain  lasting  half 
an  hour  with' 
great  violence,' 
after  which  it 
continued  more 
moderately.  | 

A  violent  shower 
near  morning, 
lasting  about  an 
hour  and  a  half ; 
the  whole  morn- 
ing showers  con-| 
tinned  to  fall  ini 
drops  till  11  A.! 
M.,when  the  sunj 
broke  through 
the  clouds  about 
2  P.M. 

The  forenoon  clear 
till  about  3  P.M. 
a  thick  thunder- 
storm gathered 
from  S.W.,  but 
dispersed  in  a 
southerly  and 
northwesterly  di- 
rection, without 
bringing  us  a 
single  drop  of 
rain. 

At  5.30  P.M.  a 
thunder  -  storm' 


1852. 
July 


YoL.  IL— Y  Y 


10 


11 


gathered  from 
the  south,  fol- 
lowed by  a  vio- 
lent shower,last- 
ing  about  twen- 
ty minutes,  and 
after  an  interval 
by  two  other 
showers  notquite 
so  heav}'. 
About  sunset  a 
thunder  -  storm 
from  the  east,fol- 
lowed  by  heavy 
rain,  which  after 
a  short  interval 
began  once  more 
and  continued 
till  about  morn- 
ing. 

The  sky  in  the 
morning  thickly 
overcast,  and  a 
little  rain  fell. 

No  rain. 

About  noon  a  thun- 
der-storm gath- 
ered from  theW., 
and  al)out3P.M. 
a  few  drops  fell, 
followed  at  4 
o'clock  b}'  a  vio- 
lent rain,  lasting 
half  an  hour,an{i 
alittle  later  some 
more  rain. 
Sky  the  whole  day 
overcast,  the  at- 
mospliere  oppres- 
sive, and  about 
noon  alittle  rain. 

Sky  overcast,  the 
sun  onl}'  occa- 
sionally break- 
ing through  thf' 
clouds,  and  a 
few  drops  of  rain 
fell;  at  3  P.M. 
some  more  rain, 
and  at  6  in  the 
evening  a  heavy 

I    shower,  lasting 

j  till  11  o'clock 
without  am- 
th under  or  light- 

!  uing- 

(The  sky  at  timc-s 
overcast,  at  oth- 
ers clear. 

I  Sky  in  the  morn- 

I  ing  clear;  about 
noon  thunder- 

j    clouds  gathered 


APPENDIX. 


Hour  of  the 
Day. 


from  the  south, 
and  about  1.30 
P.M.  a  heavy 
shower  fell,  last- 
ing with  equal 
violence  for  an 
hour,  then  less 
hesLxy  till  6' 
o'clock. 

The  sky  not  clear, 
the  atmosphere 
moist,  till  the 
weather  cleared 
up  about  noon, 
when  it  became 
warmer.  About 
ten  o'clockinthe 
evening  a  heavy 
gale  arose,  fol- 
lowed b}'  rain, 
Avhich  lasted  till 
morning. 

Sky  was  overcast 
till  about  noon, 
when  the  sun 
broke  through 
the  clouds.  In 
the  evening  a 
thunder  -  storm 
gathered  from 
the  S.,  accompa- 
nied with  heavy 
rain,  lasting  for 
a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  then  more 
moderate,  and 
again  a  very 
heavy  shower.  ' 

Sky  in  the  morn- 
ing not  clear,till 
the  sun  broke 
brightly  through 
the  clouds.  In 
the  evening  heat- 
lightning. 

Sky  in  the  morn, 
ing  clear ;  about 
noon,  when  a 
cold  wind  had 
risen,  overcast ; 
at  6.30  P.M.  a 
powerful  thun- 
der-storm gath- 
ered from  S.E.,! 
accompanied  by 
rain,  which  last- 
ed till  7.45  P.M.: 
with  equal  vio- 
lence, and  more 
temperate  till 
9.20. 

jThe  day  fine,  but 
rather  oppressive! 


1852. 
July 

17 


Beg.  in 
«cale  of 
Fah. 


20 


21 


22 


23 


about  noon;  no 
thunder-storm. 

The  sk}'  in  the 
morning  over- 
cast with  cumu- 
li ;  4  P.M.  a  hea- 
vy  thunder-storm 
gathering  from 
S.W.,and  anoth- 
er from  north  at 
the  same  time, 
followed  hy  rain 
at  6.20,  lasting 
with  more  or  less 
violence  till  8.10, 
and  after  a  short 
interval  contin- 
uing once  more. 

The  sky  overcast 
in  the  morning. 

At  5  P.M.  a  black 
thunder  -  storm 

§athering  from 
.W.,  followed 
by  heavy  rain, 
lasting  from  6.30 
to  9  o'clock,  the 
first  hour  with 
great  violence. 
At  5.45  A.M.  the 
rain  commenced 
again,  and  con- 
tinued till  8.45. 
At  1  P.M.  again 
a  little  rain ;  at 
3  o'clock  anoth- 
er light  fall,  and 
from  8  o'clock  in 
the  evening  till 
about  1  o'clock 
after  midnight, 
but  not  heavy. 
In  the  morning  the 
sky  cloudj',  and 
I  a  few  drops  of 
i  rain  fell ;  after- 
■Ward  a  black 
thunder  -  storm 
gatheringjbut  no 
rain. 
The  sky  tolerably 
clear  ;  in  the 
evening  a  thun- 
der-storm gath- 
ered from  the 
north,  but  pass- 
ed bj'  without 
bringing  us  any 
rain  except  a 
few  drops. 
Near  morning  rain, 
lasting  for  about 
an  hour,  when 


iVIETEOROLOGICAL  TABLE. 


707 


Day.  H^^-'l 


24 


25 


26 


27 


30 
31 


the  clouds  clear- 
ed away,  but 
gathered  again 
in  the  course  of 
the  afternoon, 
without,  howev-j 
cr,  bringing  us 
an}'  rain. 

In  the  morning 
light  clouds  hov-j 
ering  over  us, 
while  the  dis- 
tant horizon  was 
clear;  in  the  ev- 
ening a  black 
thunder  -  storm 
gathered  from 
east,  but  bring-j 
ing  us  only  a  fewj 
drops  of  rain; 
from  8.15  to  8.30 
o'clock. 

The  sky  in  the 
morning  over- 
cast, cleared  up 
about  noon.  —  | 
Wide  halo  round 
moon  in  evening. 

About  4:  o'clock  in 
the  morning  a 
light  shower,andl 
the  sk}'  remain-' 
ed  thickly  over-' 
cast  till  about  8 
o'clock,  when' 
the  clouds  dis-[ 
persed,  and  we, 
had  a  tine  day. 

The  sky  in  the 
morning  clear, 
in  the  afternoon 
rain-clouds  from 
S.S.E.,  bringing 
heavy  rain  in  the 
evening,  lasting 
from  5.30  till  10 
o'clock  with  con- 
siderable vio- 
lence for  the  first 
three  quarters  of 
an  hour,  then 
less  violent. 

No  rain. 

Sky  a  little  over- 
cast. In  the 
night  rain,  last- 
ing about  one 
hour,and  accom- 
panied by  a  very 
violent  gale.  i 

No  rain. 

4  P.M.  a  thunder- 
storm gathered. 


Hour  of  the   If/.f,  ^ 
I^'^y-       i  Fah. 


1852. 
July 


Aug. 


from  the  south, 
but  passed  by  to- 
ward the  west, 
without  bring- 
ing rain. 

Weather  clear. 

The  morning  not 
clear;  afterward 
the  sun  broke 
forth.  A  little 
before  sunset  a 
thunder  -  storm 
gathered  from 
S.S.E.,  and  after 
6.30  it  began 
raining,  the  rain 
continuing  the 
whole  night,  but 
onlv  gently. 

At  5.30  A.M.  it  be- 
gan again  rain- 
ing, at  times 
more  gently,  at 
others  with  great- 
er \-iolence,  but 
altogether  onlv 
little.  About  10 
A.M.  the  sun 
broke  forth. 

No  rain. 

About  6  P.M.  a 
thunder  -  storm 

gathered  from  N. 
L,  and  another 
from  the  west; 
both,  however, 
passed  by  with- 
out bringmg  any 
rain. 

In  the  afternoon 
a  thunder-storm 
gathered,  bring- 
ing moderate 
rain,  which  last- 
ed from  5.30  to 
10  P.M. 

No  rain. 

About  noon  a  hea- 
vy thunder-storm 
gathered  from 
east,  and  broke 
forth  at  12.30 
with  great  vio- 
lence,but  lasting 
only  10  minutes ; 
the^  rain  com- 
menced again  at 
2.22,  and  lasted 
till  2.40,  accom- 
panied by  a  hea- 
vy gale;  in  the 
evening  from  7.45 


70S 


APPENDIX. 


Ho- of  the 


Hour  of  the 
Day. 


till  8.20  another 
heavy  shower. 
Weather  dark  and 
rainy  ;     a  few- 
drops  of  rain  in 
the  morning.and 
at  11.20  a  light 
rain,  followed  by 
■v\-arm  sunshine.  '[ 
The    rain,  which 
had  lasted  great 
part  of  the  night, 
ceased   a  little 
before  7  o'clock 
in  the  morning. 
About  noon  rain- 
clouds  passed 
over  our  heads, 
bringing  us  but 
a  few  drops. 
In  the  preceding 
night  light  rain, 
not  accompanied 
by  thunder  ;  at 
10  A.M.  more 
rain,  and   at  2 
P.M.  more  hea- 
XX ;  at  4.22  an 
other  fall.  The 
sky  remained 
overcast,  -with 
heavy  clouds  the 
whole  day  long, 
A  heavy  shower  in 
the  morning, last-j 
ing  about  two 
hours,  followed 
by  another  fall, 
of  less  duration  ;' 
the  sky  remained' 
overcast  almosti 
the  whole  of  the] 
day,  and  in  thej 
afternoon  a  little! 
more  rain.  •» 
About  noon  a  hea- 
vy shower,  last- 
ing half  an  hour ; 
more  rain  in  the 
afternoon. 
The  sky  the  whole 
I    day  t  hickly  over- 
j    cast,  rain  falling' 

several  times 
About  6  A.M.  a; 
!    heavy  shower,' 
I    lasting  about 
1    half  an  hour.  1 
A  tine,  genial  day ; 
about  noon  skj'- 
became  overcast, 
and  at  12.30  a 
few  drops  fell, 


1852. 
Aug. 

18 

19 


20 


21 


27-31 
Sept. 

2 


8-10 


Deg.  ini 
scale  of 
Fah.  I 


11 

2.0  P.M. 

98 

12 

2.0  P.M. 

98 

13 

14 

1.0  P.M. 

94-5 

15  i  r. 

80 

16 

17 

1.30  P.M. 

97 

18 

r. 

80 

19 

79 

2.0  ^P.M. 

97 

20 

r. 

78 

later  in  the  after- 
noon more  rain. 
Sky  at  times  over- 
cast ;  a  little 
rain. 

Rain}'  day ;  it  be- 
gan raining  at 
11  A.M.  and  con- 
tinued till  3  P.M. 

About  11  o'clock  a 
little  rain,  round 
about  us  much 
more. 

At  2  P.M.  a  little 
rain. 

No  rain  (Kukawa). 

At  3  P.M.  a  con- 
siderable fall  of 
rain. 

At  4  P.M.  a  light 
rain. 

About  noon  a  thun- 
der-storm gath- 
ered, but  w-ith- 
out  rain. 

Sky  about  noon 
overcast,  but  no 
rain. 

No  rain. 


Weather  clear. 
About  noon  a  thun- 
der-storm gath- 
ering ;  in  the  aft- 
ernoon light  rain. 
74-3  Sky  in  the  after- 
I    noon  overcast. 
I    but  no  rain. 
78*5  A  few  drops  in  the 

I  morning. 
78    No  rain. 
76-6  At  10.30  a  thun- 
der-storm gath- 
ered, accompa- 
nied by  moder- 
ate rain. 
74    A   warm,  genial 
da}'. 
No  rain. 

At  4  P.M.  a  thun- 
der-storm with- 
out rain. 
Fine. 

In  the  afternoon  a 
cold,  heav}'  gale 


Clear. 

Sky  overcast. 
Sky  overcast;  sun 


]\IETE0K0L0G1CAL  TABLE. 


709 


Date. 

Hour  of  the 
Day. 

scale  of 
Fah. 

Remarks. 

Date. 

Hour  of  the 
Day. 

Deg.  in 
scale  of 
Fah. 

RemarkB. 

1852. 

1852. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

came  forth  about  1  15 

72 

noon,  but  again 

1.30^P.M. 

96 

overcast;  toward 

1  fi 

16 

Sky       overcast ; 

the  east  a  thun- 

cleared up  about 

der-storm  ;  with 

noon. 

us    but   a  few 

1/ 

r. 

75 

drops  01  rain. 

18 

r. 

72 

21 

r. 

79 

1.30  P.M. 

98 

1.30  P.M. 

97 

About    5  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon 
a  thunder-storm, 
in  the  evening  a 
few  drops. 

19 

OA 

r. 

72 

In  the  evening  a 
heavy  gale,  as 
if   preceding  a 
thunder-storm. 

22-2G 

No  rain. 

V)i 

In  the  afternoon 

27 

A  light  rain  early 
in  the  morning. 

a  thunder-storm, 
with  a  light  rain 

28 

Xo  rain. 

at  3  o'clock, last- 

29 

1.30  P.M. 

97 

ing  about  a  quar- 

30 

r. 

2.0  P.M. 

80 

100-3 

ter  of  an  hour, 
and  followed  by 

Oct. 

a  second  fall. 

1,2 

jNo  rain. 

09 

In  the  afternoon  a 

3 

l.BOFM. 

77 
98 

Alter    sunset  s, 
heavy  thunder- 

thunder -  storm, 
but  vithout  rain, 
near  us. 

4 

r. 

78-5 

storm  J  onl  V  a  few 
drops  of  rain. 

dd } 

to} 
31  S 

r. 

1.30  P.M. 

70-72 
95-98 

)  A  f          •  ,1  n 

f  A  strong  wmu.  ail 

k                      via  >  3. 

5 

r. 

78 

Nov. 

1.30  P.M.  100 

1-10 

No  obsv'n. 

<j-10 

No  obsv'n. 

11 

r. 

68 

11 

In  the  preceding 
night  a  thunder- 
storm, with  mod- 
erate rain. 

12 
13 
14 
15 

r. 
r. 
r. 

67-5 

66 

65-4 

65 

12,13 

Weather  clear. 

1.30^P.M. 

89 

14 

At  10  A.M.  a  heavy 

16 

r. 

64-5 

gale,  with  a  few 

1.30  P.M.  89 

drops  of  rain,  the 

17 

r. 

63 

rain-clouds  pass- 

18-20 

No  obsv'n. 

ing  by  toward 

21 

1.30  P.M. 

85 

22 

1.30  P.M. 

84-5 

END  OF  VOL.  II. 


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